P3: Our Time Together
by TheCrimsonBlitz
Summary: Persona 3 AU where the Protagonist and Mitsuru grow up together.
1. Chapter 1: Brand New Days

**Chapter 1: Brand New Days**

 **Author's Note:** : Hi welcome to my Persona 3 fan fiction. This is my first ever published fan fiction ever! The Protagonist's name is Makoto Yuki like in the movies. Please enjoy and please review, I'd like to know what you all think and if I should continue or not.

 **Edit 4/5/17:** Chapter 1 has been replaced with the new revision.

* * *

I didn't understand it before and I don't recall when I became self-aware, but I'd realized I would never have a permanent home. You see, my parents died when I was six. They died in a car crash that I'd miraculously walked away from, unscathed. From that point on, I was stuck in the system… the foster care system.

I bounced around from family to family, home to home, staying for no more than two weeks at a time. I didn't understand it when I was young, but they'd said I reeked of death. That was preposterous, the system would tell them, yet I was still whisked away to the next home.

After months of the same situation, I found myself on the beautiful island of Fukushima: living with an old, rich couple that I'd only seen once or twice. I didn't see them at all, because I'd taken to locking myself in my temporary room. It made sense at the time, I was gonna go away sooner or later: so why waste my time with them.

It was one afternoon in the mansion that I decided to look out the window. Up until that point, I stayed in bed and slept or read my few copies of _**Phoenix Ranger Featherman R**_ that I had. There was nothing special about what was outside. Besides the street in front and the woods ahead of it, the only other point of interest was the beach: which one could see if they looked to the right of the window.

The beach wasn't very crowded, from what I can see, and there wasn't anyone of particular interest. Still, I continued to watch the rolling wave's crash onto the golden sand. I had thought that this had to be the most beautiful sight that I'd seen in a long time. I was proven to be incorrect moments later.

As I watched the beach, as I had been doing for the better part of four hours, something had caught my eye. Coming into sight was a woman, or so I assumed, with beautiful, red hair. I don't know what compelled her to turn around, but she turned and it felt like she looked right into my eyes. This was impossible, as I was quite far from the beach and there was the fact that the sun was in my direction (relative to the woman), evident by the shadows and that the women had put up her hand as a visor to block the sun.

Still I ducked down, foolishly fearing that she'd seen me. I recalled what I had seen beforehand: aside from her red hair, her skin was an unusual pale considering she had been in the sun. My young mind had concluded that this is the kind of woman I wanted to marry. Of course, my mind wasn't rooted in reality just yet and the fact still remained: I don't know who this woman is.

Judging from what I saw, there was no doubt that it was an older woman. However, that did not squander my desire to meet her.

After checking to see if the coast was clear, I opened the window up and climbed out. Unfortunately, I was on the second floor of a **mansion** , so I was stuck for quite some time. After what had felt like hours, I finally managed to climb my way down to the ground and began making my way up the street towards a dirt path that'd lead me to the beach. It was a quick walk, only taking maybe a minute to reach the beach.

Once I was there, I began to scan around for the red-haired woman. From what I could see, she wasn't here anymore. I searched under every umbrella, to the dismay of the beach-goers, and looked out to the sea; but, I still could not find her.

 _I must've been dangling from my window for quite some time…_

Then the realization that I'd have to sneak back into the house via the window struck and I fell into the sand in defeat. I'd decided I would do so towards the end of the night, when the old couple would be asleep.

I stayed on the beach for the rest of the day. For entertainment: I watched the people on the beach go about their lives, watched a crab walk strangely (I'd never seen a live crab), I tried digging a hole at one point, all before watching the sun set below the horizon. It was, to say the least, quite enjoyable. I decided to take a nap to pass the time, hoping I'd wake up in time to sneak back in.

It was difficult to open my eyes, but I had woken up to a voice.

* * *

"Um, hello?" a distinctly feminine voice said.

I mumbled something incoherent, prompting the voice to ask: "Are you okay? Daddy says it's not safe for children to sleep alone on the beach."

"Wha…? Y-yeah, I'm fine," I replied, as my eyes began to open.

I was expecting the night sky to be the first sight I'd see, in fact I was anticipating the plethora of stars that would be visible this far from the city. In the city, you couldn't see the stars, so I concluded that I'd see them out here. Instead, I was greeted with something far more pleasing.

My eyes were treated to a wonderful shade of red. I had to blink multiple times before I realized that this was the woman I was looking for earlier. Except it wasn't a woman (at least not yet), rather it was a young girl. Her face was right above mine, her hair falling against my face creating an unbearable ticklish feeling.

In that moment, I studied her face. Her eyes emitted a deep red, similar to the color of her hair. Her face had the perfect proportions, with skin just as perfect. It should've been entirely impossible, due to the night sky, but I could clearly see the blush in her cheeks.

The ticklish feeling her hair was causing became unbearable, so I collected whatever strands I could and slowly moved them behind her head. If I couldn't see her face turning red before, it was quite obvious in that moment. She'd stayed there for a second, my hand still in her hair, before pulling herself up and recoiling in embarrassment.

"W-what d-do y-you t-think y-you're d-d-doing?" she asked, bewildered.

I sat upright and turned my head to the left, in order to meet her eyes: "Your hair was tickling my face, so I moved it."

This clearly didn't appease her: "W-well y-you s-shoulda j-just a-asked!"

"I'm sorry," I apologized with a light laugh. "Your hair… it's just so pretty."

"P-pretty?" she asked, flustered and astonished at the same time. "Y-you t-think t-that I-I'm p-pretty?"

 _She must have selective hearing_ , I concluded.

"Uhh… well, I was talking about your—" I started, but was cut off quite abruptly.

"I-I-I t-think y-you're k-kinda c-cute… I-I t-think?" she stuttered, clearly embarrassed to death. "B-but I don't l-l-like b-boys… o-or a-at l-least I-I d-don't k-know i-if I d-do. F-father s-says I-I c-can't h-have a-a b-boyfriend."

The mention of 'boyfriend' flustered her even more, probably to the point of crying. I'd never seen anyone so flustered, that they'd stutter on every single word. This caused me to laugh harder than I have in months. This confused the young girl quite a bit.

"I-it's i-impolite t-to l-laugh a-at someone… y-you c-could a-at l-least c-condiment m-me b-back. T-though, I-I guess y-you d-did c-call _**me**_ p-pretty…"

I couldn't help but laugh even more: "Condiment!? You mean compliment?"

(Looking back on it, I understand that I was quite rude. However, even today, I still tease her on her mix-up.)

"S-shut u-up!" She yelled, on the verge of tears.

I picked up on this and stopped my fit of laughter abruptly, "I'm sorry, you're just too much fun."

I smiled at her, the first genuine smile in a while, and gave the most sincere look I could.

"W-what's your n-name?" she asked.

I can't recall, but I remember being very nervous when answering her, "I'm Makoto, Makoto Yuki. How about you?"

Instead of answering me like a proper human-being, she instead punched me (very hard) in the shoulder.

"Geez! What was that for?" I demanded an answer.

"Father says it's rude to hit someone whose name you don't know. You're lucky I didn't hit you earlier," she answered.

I was already beginning to miss the flustered version of herself.

"I think it's rude not to give your name when asked," I replied, defensively.

She garnered up a proud aura around her and confidently stated: "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo. I already knew who you were."

This revelation shocked me, "Really?"

"Yes, father told me. He told me the old couple over there had a child my age at their place. Ya' know…" she slowly began, red slowly rising in her cheeks. "I- I saw you l-looking at me… e-earlier today."

My body tensed up and it was my turn to become flustered.

"Crap! She saw me!" I unknowingly thought aloud.

She giggled at my response, further tormenting me, and continued, "I was going to ask them if we could play together, but then I saw you… or at least your hair."

She put a hand in my hair and slowly ran it through, ruffling it up in the process. "You really thought no one could see your blue hair?"

I didn't respond. Instead, I was mesmerized by her touch. It brought back memories of when my mother used to do the same thing.

I had looked deep into her eyes and smiled. Her hand retreated and she looked out towards the sea, clearly embarrassed.

"A-anyways, y-you should g-go home. I-I'm s-sure t-they're worried," she suggested.

"I don't want to go back…" I said, honestly.

When I looked at her, she was gazing intently at her watch. It was hard to tell, but it was clearly close to midnight.

 _Crap,_ was all I could think.

"You have to!" she cried, with an urgency that frightened even me.

"B-but why?" I asked. "Why do I have to leave right now?"

"Because…" she started, once again on the verge of tears. "I hate seeing people turn into –"

Before she could finish, I witnessed something truly terrifying. The sky turned green instantaneously, the sea had turned red (not a beautiful red like Mitsuru's hair, but a blood red that sickened me), and the moon was clearly larger or closer (or both) than it was before.

"—those things…" Mitsuru had finished.

She saw that I was still there, though my younger self didn't understand why that was an issue, and just stared at me: not quite believing what she was seeing.

"What is this?" I asked, fear present in my voice.

She didn't answer me like a proper human-being and instead tackled me into the sand, embracing me tightly.

I let out a strange noise in response to this, but I couldn't ignore that I felt tears falling onto my shoulder.

"Are you… ok?" I asked.

She pulled her head from my shoulder and looked into my face. She was crying, but she was also smiling. Up until this point, I had thought crying was reserved for sadness, so you can imagine my astonishment.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. More than fine!" she cried happily. "I've actually met a friend, during the Dark Hour no less."

 _Dark Hour? Friend?_ I didn't know which confused me more.

"What's the Dark Hour?"

She continued to cry tears of joy when she answered: "It's too complicated for me to explain, Father uses too many big words."

"A-and w-we're a-actually f-friends?" I asked, cautiously.

"Of course! We're gonna be best friends!" she exclaimed, still embracing me.

She actually maintained the hug for quite a while, before relenting. She smiled at me sheepishly and apologized profusely.

All I could think of while coming up with a response was, _don't say anything weird._ Needless to say, my concept of 'weird' is drastically different from today.

I replied with, "There's no need to apologize, I actually enjoyed it."

Mitsuru was an unhealthy shade of red, and my younger self didn't understand why.

She leapt to her feet, back towards me (to hide her face) and said: "L-lets go see m-my father. He'll be surprised to m-meet y-you."

"Me? Why me?" I asked.

"Because you're… we're special. C'mon, I don't live far from here."

Without any say in the matter, Mitsuru took my hand and toted me towards her home.

* * *

It really wasn't too far from where we once were, it probably only took five minutes to get there. As Mitsuru's hand gripped mine, I couldn't help but wonder how she could remain so calm in this situation. The sky was GREEN! The sea was BLOODY RED! I had guessed that she's used to it (which blew my mind), considering she called it 'The Dark Hour'.

Another thought that I had thought about was that she said we were friends. I don't really recall having any friends, before the incident and especially not in the following months afterwards. Something about her made me feel warm; like I was actually wanted: something I had not felt with any of the foster parents. I couldn't help but smile at this thought.

I didn't notice it, but we'd stopped walking and were situated in front of some large gates. The gate, itself, looked heavy and sturdy; while the pillars on either side looked imposing, yet elegant at the same time.

"We're here," she said with a cheery smile.

She somehow managed to push the large gate open and continued to lead me inside. We followed a brick path, until the mansion came into view. I had thought the mansion I was staying at was large, but hers made it feel like a dog house in comparison.

She quickly took note of my awe and explained: "My father is the head of the Kirijo Group, so he makes a lot of money. This is just our vacation home, though."

I was in a larger state of awe afterwards. As we approached the entrance to the large building, I noticed a figure standing at the door. As we got closer, I could make out more details of this person. It was an older gentleman (not old, but reaching/or exceeding thirty years), with hair that can only be described as a 'corporate-haircut', he had a stern look on his face, and, interestingly enough, he donned an eye patch over his right eye.

(As a child, I thought that was the coolest thing ever.)

"Mitsuru! Where have you been?" his voice boomed.

"Daddy! Look, I found someone!" Mitsuru seemingly danced around his question.

"What?" he peered in closer and was finally able to see me entirely.

We closed the distance between us, allowing the man to get a better look at me.

"His name is Makoto Yuki and he's my best friend!" she said, without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"So this is the Makoto Yuki that Sho-san was bragging about. He's done nothing, but sing praises about you," Mitsuru's father revealed.

"Ha!" I laughed at this. "What does he know? He hasn't seen me since I arrived."

"And why's that?" he asked.

"I've locked myself in that room since the day I got here. Those guys haven't seen me at all, a bunch of liars."

"I see… he must've been lying to feel better than me. You know he's always been jealous of my Mitsuru," he threw a smile towards Mitsuru. "Unfortunately, you're not the first child to pass through his household. In fact, it's my assumption that he'll probably get rid of you soon; considering, you've locked yourself away."

"Good," I said, quite arrogantly.

"No!" Mitsuru cried. "But he's my friend!"

I'd forgotten all about that, as guilt clouded my mind.

"Daddy, can't you do anything?"

The man looked at me and pondered for a moment. Clearly, the man was deep in thought, as we stood in silence for at least two minutes.

"Say, have you eaten at all since you got here?" he finally asked.

It wasn't a response I was expecting, but I answered regardless: "No, not really."

"It's settled then, we shall continue our discussion over a late-night meal. The outdoors is no place for a conversation. Mitsuru, please take him to the dining hall."

"Ok, this way Makoto!" Mitsuru responded, cheerfully taking me into the home.

* * *

I'd noticed on the way here that there were no lights on, not even the street lamps were lit. To my surprise the lights in Mitsuru's mansion were all on, much to my surprise.

"Oh yeah, electric doesn't work during the Dark Hour, but Daddy made sure it worked in here."

 _There she goes again, talking about the Dark Hour._

We finally reached the dining hall, a large room (that felt bigger than the entire house I was staying at) with a long table that could seat many guests.

We took our seats at the end of the table, Mitsuru having taken the seat next to me. Moments later, a butler (I assumed) came in and placed three trays down on the table. Soon after, Mitsuru's father entered taking the seat in front of us.

"Go ahead and eat," he permitted.

As we began to eat, the man began to talk: "I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Takeharu Kirijo. As you can already tell, I am Mitsuru's father."

I swallowed the food in my mouth and said, "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise… I'm sure you've noticed it: the green sky, red water, all that?"

I nodded, "The Dark Hour, right?"

"Correct. In short, it's the 25th hour… there are 24 hours, but I'm sure you know that – as I was saying it's another hour that most do not experience. The three of us are special; we get to experience this hidden hour. I can't be too sure about you until we've run some tests, but Mitsuru has, what we call, the Potential. It's a bit too much to explain since you're still quite young, but we're on the cusp of creating a technology that draws out the Potential. Well that's not entirely correct, we have the technology, but it's not designed for humans… I'm getting sidetracked here," he chuckled at his own mistake.

"Sho, Dahhdy…" Mitsuru mumbled, with her mouth full.

"Swallow your food, dear," Takeharu said with a sigh.

She gulped the food down, "So, Daddy: why don't we keep him? Y'know, so you can do your tests or something."

Takeharu smiled at her, "I was just getting to that."

He looked directly at me, and put on a serious face, "Yuki, how would you like to live here?"

His words echoed in my head. I was stunned at his question. A family that wanted me was beyond my imagination.

"You don't have to decide just yet, it's an important choice that you'll have to make. Just know that you wouldn't be a burden in our household," he added.

"PLEASE, please, please stay with me… I mean us," Mitsuru pleaded, looking very embarrassed.

I thought for a few moments about the events of today. It had been the happiest I'd been in a long time, it wasn't a hard choice to make.

"I would be glad to join the family," I said, attempting to contain my happiness.

"YAY!" Mitsuru exclaimed, hugging me very tightly.

Takeharu smiled and sat back in his chair, similar to how he would after closing a business deal.

"It's settled. Feel free to spend the night in Mitsuru's room, her bed is large enough. I'll settle everything in the morning. Goodnight you two," Takeharu said, with a smile.

"C'mon, I'll show you my room… our room!" Mitsuru exclaimed, grabbing my arm and pulling me with her.

"Wait! I haven't finished eating," I cried to no avail.

Before I knew it, I was being dragged into the hallway.

* * *

We finally reached her room after wandering the labyrinth of halls. In that time, the Dark Hour had concluded and the night resumed. Her room, similar to the dining hall, was larger than ant bedroom I've ever seen. It wasn't empty either; in fact, the room was furnished completely.

The first thing I noticed in her room, were the large windows that covered an entire wall. The view was spectacular: the clear view of the beach and ocean was as picturesque as a postcard and the night sky was visible in its entirety. I could see the moon and could count each individual star if I so desired.

"It's amazing," I said.

I then noticed the large bed, which Mitsuru comically flopped onto. The bed was large enough to fit an entire family and looked comfier than any bed I've ever seen.

Mitsuru motioned for me to plop onto the bed as well, which I accepted. The bed, as I predicted, was very comfortable. So comfortable, that the desire to sleep was almost entirely overwhelming.

"Hey! You're not falling asleep yet, are you?" Mitsuru whined.

"Not yet," I claimed, but my large yawn betrayed me.

"But I haven't shown you everything yet," Mitsuru she continued to whine.

I sat up drowsily and rubbed my eyes. It was at that moment that I saw a just-as-large TV set across from where the bed was. Though it was a good distance away, it still felt as if it were only a few feet away.

"That seemed to wake you up, huh? Yeah, it's pretty nice. I only ever use it sometimes, but I think it'll get more use now that you're here," the last part made Mitsuru smile very cheerfully.

The idea of having a family once again made me feel satisfied with my life, like I wouldn't have to worry about anything.

"How about we watch some TV…?" Mitsuru trailed off, after looking at my face. "W-why are you crying?"

I didn't notice it, but I was definitely shedding a tear: "These are… tears of joy…?"

I felt like I understood how Mitsuru felt when she'd found a friend. Strangely enough, I could feel my heartbeat in my chest, but my head also felt like it was pounding.

(It wouldn't be until later, that I'd discover what that feeling was.)

The feeling was brief, but my reaction was enough to warrant a response from Mitsuru: "Are you alright?"

Giving her a reassuring smiled, I replied: "I'm fine. Let's watch some TV."

She agreed and turned on the TV. She climbed into bed, and I followed. Mitsuru situated herself directly next to me and had wrapped her arms around me, as if I was a stuffed animal. I returned the gesture, making an already flustered Mitsuru even more flustered. It wasn't long until we were both asleep; both excited to see how the next day would play out.

* * *

 **Velvet Room**

I awoke to find myself in a large, moving elevator.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. You, young man, are an esteemed guest here. If you'd sign this contract, this place will be open to you in it's entirety," a man with a long, sharp nose and a crazed smile said to me.

Beside him was a beautiful woman with short, white hair and wore a blue dress.

"What's the contract for?" I asked.

"It only guarantees that you'll accept responsibility for all of your decisions," He replied.

I nodded at his reply and signed 'Makoto Yuki'.

"I believe I do owe some explanation…" the man said, as if contemplating whether to continue or not.

"Master, he is much too young to make sense of anything. It'd be a waste to proceed any further until later."

"Perhaps you're right," he said, agreeing with the woman. "Yet, I feel as if this one is different. Yes… can you feel it? His heart is already far more developed than previous guests."

'Yes… this one has already formed a bond!" the woman exclaimed delightfully.

"How very interesting… listen well, young man. You have, what you humans call: the Potential. I'm sure you're you've experienced a strange sensation recently, correct?"

I recalled the strange feeling I felt when I understood how Mitsuru had felt. I nodded at the man's question.

"That is a bond you have created. In this case, you've formed a bond with someone of the Empress arcana. Continue building the bonds you've formed and you'll become much stronger."

None of this really made sense, except for me having the Potential. Again, I merely nodded at him.

The man with the sharp nose's smile grew larger as he said, "It seems that our time here is up. Next time we meet, hopefully it is of your own accord."

"Wait!" I yelled. "I never got your names."

"I am Igor and this is my assistant Elizabeth."

"Nice to meet you, I hope we get along well," she said with a wink.

"And with that I bid you farewell. 'Til next time."

* * *

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Mitsuru's face in front of mine. She was still asleep and I could feel her breath on my face. I noticed some drool coming out of her mouth, but I'd never tell her that. We were both still locked in a tight embrace. I heard her mutter quietly, "I'll never let you go." I carefully wriggled myself out and proceeded to see Takeharu.

"Yuki, as expected, Sho-san has already expressed his displeasure with you to the foster care services. You're supposed to leave today, but my people have already filed the necessary paperwork. You're free to stay here, as we expect to get the good news later this week." Takeharu explained.

His grin felt familiar to me, as I realized it'd reminded me of my fathers. He placed his hand on my shoulder and very softly said: "Welcome to the family."

I smiled at his words and thanked him for his efforts.

We'd engaged in some small talk, mostly just me explaining my life, until a very sleepy Mitsuru walked in. Her hair was a bedridden mess (but the red was beautiful nonetheless) and a dried drool mark remained on her face.

"What's going on?" she said, yawning the entire time.

"Ahh, great news Mitsuru. Yuki is staying with us from now on."

Mitsuru burst into happiness, hugging both Takeharu and I.

"I have some other news: the school year starts up in a few weeks. Since you seem to possess an equal intellectual capacity to Mitsuru, I've gone through the liberty of placing you in the same class as her."

"Can you do that?" I questioned.

"Of course! After all Gekkoukan Elementary is owned by the Kirijo group, along with the Junior High and the High School. So as long as you wish it, you two may share the same classes until the day you graduate," Takeharu answered.

"Wow really! Hey Makoto, we're going to be best friends forever, right?" Mitsuru wondered.

"Well I'm not sure I can be best friends with someone who sleep talks all the time," I said teasingly.

"I do not!" Mitsuru countered.

"Do to," I replied.

We bickered back and forth, as Takeharu smiled on. He looked content with the choice he'd made.

From that day on, my life would change forever.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And that's the end of Chapter 1. Let me know what you think by reviewing. If you have any suggestions feel free to contact me.

 **4/5/17:** I am considering replacing Chapter 2 as well, so be on the look out for that.


	2. Chapter 2: Changing Seasons

**Author's Note:** Hi! Welcome to Chapter 2 of my story. I'd like to thank everyone who has followed and favorited(?) the story. The response has been tremendous and I'm so happy you all enjoy my story. Chapter 2 may feel sort of haphazard and I definitely feel that it's not my best writing. Chapters 1 & 2 I've written a while back, so after this chapter each new chapter will have been written recently, if that makes any sense. Chapters will be updated, hopefully, on Fridays or earlier. With that, please enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Changing Seasons**

In the final year of Junior High, Mitsuru had begun to change. With what only Takeharu could describe as, "Her transcendence into womanhood," I was put out of the loop on what she was going through. That year, Takeharu allowed us to move into Iwatodai Dormitory. He thought we were both mature enough to live independently, adding the fact that we're a lot closer to the school. Throughout our years at Gekkoukan Junior High, Mitsuru and I had been considered the most popular people in the school. With Mitsuru's beauty and my charismatic charm, it was no question that we were as popular as people thought.

In December, after the Finals, our school had planned a Christmas Dance for the entire student body. I'd decided that I'd rather just go with some friends. That is until a couple of annoyed girls approached me.

"Hey, Yuki-Kun," one of them said to me.

"Oh hey, what's up?" I replied.

"Well you're going to the dance, aren't you?" another asked.

"That's right." I answered.

"With Kirijo-Senpai?" the more annoyed one added.

"Wait, what? No I'm just gonna go with a couple of friends. Who told you that?" I asked.

"Kirijo-Senpai said that you two were gonna go on a date to the dance," the girl chimed in.

"Date!? I thought they were just going together!" another girl said, utterly confused.

"That's what a date is, numbskull! So you're not going on a date with Kirijo-Senpai, correct?" the annoyed one said.

"Well I haven't made any plans with her, so technically you're right. I'm not going on a date with her," I replied.

"Tch, figures. Thanks Yuki-Kun, see you around." the annoyed girl said, before walking off.

 _What were they talking about, why would Mitsuru lie like that,_ I thought to myself.

As the girls were walking off I heard the annoyed girl say," Leave it to that rich bitch to want to keep Yuki all for herself."

"Hey!" I called out to them, they turned around. "Don't you ever disrespect Mitsuru!"

"Huh, oh right. My bad," the girl said unapologetically.

I walked away, angered at the words said behind Mitsuru's back. Though I was still confused as to why she'd lie about that. I decided I'd confront her later today.

* * *

After we'd both eaten our dinner, we went to the lounge and hung out. Mitsuru had already changed into her pajamas and sat on the ground like a child would.

"Hey Makoto! What do you want to do? You wanna play a game, or watch TV, or maybe we could watch a movie. Ooh with tons of romanc-" Mitsuru stopped, her face flooding red with embarrassment.

I couldn't help but to laugh at her blunder.

"I-it's not funny," she said, pouting.

I joined her on the floor, sitting face to face with her, "Mitsuru, let's talk."

"O-ok. About what?" she asked.

"Well today, a couple of girls told me an interesting story." I said.

"Really, what was it?" she questioned, curiosity piqued.

"They'd told me that you had said we were going to the dance together, when you know I was planning on going with friends," I told her.

Mitsuru's face began to turn red,"Of course it's just story..."

"Mitsuru, I know you lied to them. Why?" I asked.

"I-i-it's nothing!" She yelled as she began to stand up.

I grabbed both of her hands and eased her back down, her face growing even redder than before.

"It's not nothing, just tell me," I said.

It was a solid ten seconds of utter silence. I saw her looking down and somewhat blushing, though I couldn't tell since her face was already quite red. Until I noticed we were still holding hands, I quickly yanked my hands away and tried to play it off.

"Uhh sorry," I said.

"O-oh it's fine, really." she replied back, looking disappointed.

"I'm gonna guess that you're not going to tell me anything, is that right?" I asked.

* _Oh Makoto, I fear that you'll never understand my feelings. I did what I did because I... I... L-_

* * *

 **Mitsuru's Point of View**

Makoto and I have been best friends for the longest time. Before he showed up in my life, everyone would stay away from me. My personality wasn't the easiest to open up to, but I still deserved _a_ friend, right? When he showed up in my life to stay, I was overjoyed. But as we grew up, my feelings began to change. I've started to notice him more often than usual. How handsome he's become over the years. How protective he is over me, shielding me from the realities of the real world. How he believes his 'competitiveness' over getting top of the class in exam scores, betters me into succeeding. He hasn't noticed my new feelings towards him, still oblivious as always.

Today during class, while waiting for Makoto to return from the restroom to have lunch together, a large group of girls began to form in the class room. By large, I mean LARGE.

I overheard the 'ringleader' declare, "Now that we've assembled, we should discuss who we're going to ask to the dance!"

The classroom had turned into a 'War Conference'. With each girl vying for their own desires.

 _Ha_ , I thought. _Who cares about something as trivial as that?_

Nobody was saying anything, probably too shy to share their feelings.

"I know you may be shy, but don't be afraid to let us know who you want to go with to the dance!" the ringleader shouted.

 _They're really taking this seriously, huh?_

"Umm... well, I was thinking about asking Yuki-Kun to go with me..." a voice spoke up.

My heart stopped. _Makoto wouldn't go out with someone like you!,_ I thought (which was completely out of character).

"H-hey! Wait a second! I was going to ask him!" another voice added.

I started squeezing the air, in anger. _Or was it jealousy._

"No I'm going to ask him!" another girl said.

"But I want him!" yet another girl said.

Suddenly, the room erupted into a verbal chaos with all girls claiming the right to ask Makoto.

I don't know what came over me, but I suddenly stood up, garnering the attention of all the girls in the room.

"How can any of you ask him to the dance, when he's already asked me to go with him? Hmm?" I said coldly, triumphantly.

Small conversations began all around the room.

" What?! That's not fair!"

"Of course the rich girl always gets what she wants."

"She's just scared to lose him to someone more beautiful than her."

"She's a lying bitch, we all know that."

I didn't know how to react so I stood my ground, not giving an inch. Soon, a couple of girls left. More followed them, and eventually the room cleared out.

I gave a sigh of relief as I sat back down and awaited for Makoto to return.

 _Why was he taking so long?_ I wondered. Soon after, he returned. He seemed normal, but something in his eyes looked wrong. I couldn't tell what it was, but I did my best to avoid the subject of the dance for the rest of the day.

I'd have to ask him, eventually. I wouldn't want to look like a complete liar in front of everyone. And when we're together, holding each other in one another's arms, my head on his chest, his chin resting on my head, then maybe, just maybe he'll understand my feelings.

* * *

 **Makoto's Point of View**

DING-DONG, the doorbell rang.

I looked at Mitsuru one more time, her head hung in disappointment.

"I guess I'll get it," I said, as I stood up and walked towards the door.

When I opened the door, a noble voice pulled me into an embrace.

"Yuki! Good to see you again!" it was Takeharu. Next to him was a large suitcase.

"DADDY!" Mitsuru yelled as she quickly got up, and jumped right into his arms.

"Mitsuru, baby. Haha, nice pajamas. How are you doing?" Takeharu said warmly.

As they embraced and exchanged small talk, I offered to take the suitcase for him. "Thank you, Yuki. If you'd please set it on the table over there." Takeharu said.

"No problem," as I moved the suitcase to the table in the lounge.

After they'd ended their embrace, Mitsuru and Takeharu joined me in the lounge.

"I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but there's a good reason..." Takeharu explained. "Now do you want the good news or the even better news?"

Mitsuru and I looked at each other, thinking we both had the same idea.

"The good news, first," I proclaimed.

"The even better news!" Mitsuru yelled in glee.

We both looked at each other, dead panned.

"Haha," Takeharu chuckled," I'll tell you the good news first."

Mitsuru and I leaned in with anticipation.

"First, the good news! Starting next year, you'll get a new dorm advisor. One who's well aware of the Dark Hour and will assist you in your efforts." Takeharu explained.

"Our efforts?" Mitsuru said.

" That's the better news. I'm sure you've noticed that large tower that appears during the Dark Hour." Takeharu added.

"Yes it seems to be in the area of Gekkoukan High," I said.

"That's because that **is** Gekkoukan High." Takeharu explained.

"So the high school turns into a giant menacing tower, during the Dark Hour?" Mitsuru asked.

"Precisely, which leads me to this,"Takeharu said, reaching towards the suitcase.

"That tower is what we call Tartarus. You could say it's a Shadow Nest. Shadows are what we call the creatures that appear during the Dark Hour. The best way to defeat these shadows is with your Persona..." Takeharu explained.

Mitsuru and I both looked surprised. "You mean you've finally-" I started.

"Yes, we've created a summoning- rather an evoking piece that will allow you to call forth your Persona." Takeharu finished.

When Takeharu opened the case, inside lie two pistols and a set of armbands. Mitsuru grabbed one of the armbands, while I went straight for the pistol.

"S.E.E.S? What's that?" Mitsuru asked.

"It stands for the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad. When you enter Gekkoukan High, you'll form a club that looks ordinary during the day, but you'll hunt shadows during the Dark Hour. Your new dorm advisor will authorize the creation of the club, and you'll be set from there on," Takeharu answered.

"So this'll summon my Persona? Whg are they shaped like guns?" I asked.

"Those are Evokers. You put it to your head, pull the trigger, and BOOM your Persona is summoned." Takeharu said.

"You want me to shoot myself in the head?!" I exclaimed.

"Haha, its not a real gun. Think of it as a good luck charm." Takeharu joked.

"I guess I'll trust you," I said uneasily.

"Good, you'll have your chance to test them tonight." Takeharu said.

"Eeehhhh?!" Mitsuru and I exclaimed together.

"Now get out of those pajamas', Mitsuru. You don't want fight shadows in those," Takeharu joked.

Mitsuru and I looked at each other uneasily, as we both walked up the stairs together.

* * *

When the Dark Hour arrived Takeharu explained our mission. "Tonight you two will enter and clear the first floor of Tartarus. I've gone through the liberty of providing you two weapons to defend yourselves. A short sword for Yuki and a rapier for Mitsuru. Furthermore, I'll provide support from here, in the control room."

Takeharu had the control room set up over the summer. According to him, the computer can detect any shadow in the entire city.

"So you want us to walk all the way over there?" I asked.

"Of course not. Here, Mitsuru, catch." Takeharu said.

He threw her a pair of keys.

"It's for a specially designed motorcycle that can operate in the Dark Hour." Takeharu explained.

"B-but I can't drive! I don't even have a license yet." Mitsuru said.

"It's the Dark Hour, laws don't apply here." Takeharu said smugly.

We exited the building with Takeharu, where we saw the motorcycle in question.

Mitsuru climbed atop the motorcycle and looked back at me.

"You gonna get on?" she asked.

 _Of course not! Don't you know how embarrassing it is for a guy to ride passenger to a girl on a motorcycle!_ Is what I wanted to say, but instead I replied," Yeah, of course."

I got on the back and wrapped my arm around Mitsuru. I could feel her heart beating against my forearm.

 _Is it beating faster? Way faster!?_

"Hey! Watch your hands, Yuki!" Takeharu yelled as we sped off to Tartarus.

* * *

 _This is bad,_ I thought. Mitsuru had been badly hit and I was hardly hanging on. I had yet to summon my Persona, as I was uncomfortable with the thought of it. Mitsuru is extremely powerful, freezing the shadows left and right. However, this particular shadow seems to be resistant to ice, leaving Mitsuru nearly powerless. When she went to strike it with her rapier, it countered her attack and struck her hard.

 _"Yuki," Takeharu's calls to me in a earpiece transceiver, " M-Mitsuru is hardly standing. You must use your Persona!"_

I knew what I had to do. I quickly pulled the Evoker from it's holster, spinning it on the way up. I held it to my head, and I suddenly began speaking, involuntarily," Per-so-na!"

Click! I felt my head jerk to the left and suddenly my Persona appeared before me. It was a light blue, metalloid, man-shaped figure wearing a red scarf and a lyre on it's back. It was an amazing spectacle, seeing this- my Persona. But the most amazing thing would soon happen. Suddenly something began to tear my Persona up from the inside and what came out was either the best thing I've ever seen or the most terrifying. Out emerged, a black robed Entity with what looked to be some sort of skull and eight coffins floating over it's back. The Entity propelled forward and began to slice the shadow into pieces. When, it was satisfied it violently jerked it's head down and took a bite of the shadow, until the shadow disappeared into nothing. The Entity then let out a high-pitched screech and decomposed back into my original Persona.

The Persona turned to me and began to speak, " Thou art I... And I am thou... From the sea of thy soul I cometh... I am Orpheus, master of strings..."

"T-t-thank y-you..." I mumbled out, as I began to fade into darkness.

The last thing I saw was Orpheus nod at me and disappear, while Mitsuru kept yelling," Makoto! Makoto! Makoto Yuki don't you dare leave me!"

And with that I passed out.

* * *

I was rushed too the hospital and was in a short coma for ten days. In that sleep, I visited the Velvet Room again.

From what I was told, Mitsuru stayed by my side the entire time I was in the hospital. She'd been crying until there were no longer any tears to fall.

I guess we couldn't go to the dance together anyways...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Please feel free to review, any constructive criticism is welcome. If there's anything you want changed/added go ahead and PM me.

Special thanks to:

Kirijo Senpai- You're awesome!

afutureillusion- You're awesome as well!

I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and be on the lookout for the next one.


	3. Chapter 3: Want To Be Close

**Author's Note:** Hi, welcome to Chapter 3! As of 6/4/15, this story has 19 favorites and 31 followers. I can't thank you all enough and I'm thankful for all the support. Chapter 3 has, so far, been my favorite chapter to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I have.

 **6/4/15 11:50: Fixed some mistakes and added some parts to better the flow of the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Want To Be Close**

"Where am I?"

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room," a female voice greeted.

 _Velvet Room. That must make her... what's her name again? Is it Marie... no. Margaret? Probably not. That's right! Elizabeth._

"Hi there, Elizabeth?" I said questioningly.

"Ahh, you've remembered my name!" she replied in absolute glee.

"Yeah... right," I agreed. "So what am I doing here?"

"You're currently in a coma back in your reality," Elizabeth told me.

 _How can she say that so nonchalantly?_

"But why am I _here_?" I questioned.

"You're here because you willed yourself here," a voice in the back called out.

 _And that's... Igor. The guy with the really sharp nose._

"I willed myself here?"

"Yes, you came here because you have questions. Now what questions do you have?" Igor replied.

"I have questions?"

"Isn't it redundant in your world to answer a question with another question?" Elizabeth wondered aloud.

"Yes, but in this case I didn't even know I had questions," I replied honestly.

Then it hit me.

 _The Entity. That... that thing that tore out of my Persona._

"What happened the other night?" I asked quickly.

"I presume you're referring to the night you first summoned your Persona? If that's the case, I can't give you any information regarding the instance," Igor proclaimed.

"Then why'd you offer to answer my questions?"

"I never agreed to answer them. I merely agreed to hear your questions."

 _I don't understand the logic of these people._

"I can, however, tell you that you are a very special young man." Igor spoke up.

"Huh?"

"In terms of the Arcana, you are the Fool."

"Did you just-" I was cut off.

"The Fool is zero. Zero holds an infinite amount of possibilities. You are a Wild Card. Aside from other Persona users, you have the potential to hold more Personas' within you," he explained.

 _Other Persona users? I only know one other person, but there's more?_

"Now if that's all, I bid you farewell."

* * *

I can hear the slow pinging of the medical machines around me. It's slow and melodic; making a noise every two seconds. With that, I easily conclude that I'm in a hospital.

There's something soft and warm on my left arm. It feels as though I've grown a lot of hair on that arm alone, until I notice short, warm breaths brushing against it.

I try to open my eyes, but crust that has formed over my eyes prevents that. I quickly remove it and slowly my vision returns to me. I look to my left to see Mitsuru laying her head on my arm, peacefully sleeping with hair draped over my arm.

I hear a series of knocks on the door, and quickly close my eyes. The door opens and footsteps begin to approach the bed.

"Ah, Kirijo-San! How much times must we tell you? Please refrain from sleeping on the patient."

"Ugh...?" Mitsuru groaned as I felt her slowly lift her head.

 _Gross,_ I could feel a pool of drool being left behind as she got up.

"I apologize, it's just..." she said.

I'm sure I could feel her gaze upon my face.

"Well in any case, you can return home at any time. He's in great care here, you have no worri-"

"I can't just leave him! It's my fault, my fault..."

I could hear the nurse sigh, "Very well, call the doctor if you have notice any updates on his condition."

After that I could hear receding footsteps and a closing door. Mitsuru had begun to move her chair closer towards the head of the bed, evident with the annoying screech as she dragged it across the floor.

The area to the left of my head depressed downward as Mitsuru proped her elbows onto the bed. She closed the gap between her and I, her warm breath on my cheek.

Turning my head, I opened my eyes towards hers. We looked into each others eyes, noses in direct contact, faces perfectly aligned.

 _Just like when we were kids_ , I thought.

"How often are we going to meet like this?" I asked.

All Mitsuru could do was gasp as she fell back into her seat, face red with embarrassment. Just as quickly as she fell, she leapt back up and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Oh, Makoto... I was so worried about you." I could feel tears running down her face.

"Don't worry, I'm okay now. Please don't cry."

She held me there for awhile, scared that'd I'd slip through her helpless grasp once again. I didn't intend to worry her, but that's how she was. She worried over every little thing, even when we were children.

 _She's the best, isn't she?_

"Right, yes," she straightened her self out. "I'm going to inform the doctor that you're awake. Do you need anything in the meantime?"

She had wiped the tears from her face and had put on a sincere smile. She stood awkwardly at my side, probably wondering how long I'd been awake.

"Yeah, uhm... Would you mind wiping your drool off my arm?"

With a red face, she threw a pillow at my face and proceeded to exit the room.

"It's not nice to assault a patient!" I call out to her.

* * *

 **Mitsuru's Point of View: A Week Later**

"Yuki," I call to him.

He doesn't respond.

"Yuki..." I say again.

No response.

 _Seriously, Makoto... It's the end of the day and I wanna go home._

"Yuki," I said, somewhat agitated, "if you don't-" but I was cut off.

"Oh, Mitsuru... I'm sorry," he apologized.

He'd been staring out the window the entire class and continued even after the final bell.

"What are you apologizing for?" I said as I nudged him playfully on the shoulder.

"It's... nothing," he solemnly replied.

"Makoto, what's wrong?" I asked.

He sighs, "That night, it keeps bothering me. That... Entity keeps haunting me. I don't know why nor do I know the significance of it."

I hugged him from behind, my chin resting on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll understand one day, you always do," I whisper in his ear.

"M-Mitsuru..." he stuttered.

I could feel his body getting warmer. I released him from the embrace, giving him a warm smile as he'd turned around to face me.

"Let's go!" I exclaimed, grabbing his arm and yanking him up.

"W-where to?" he asked, shakily.

"Iwatodai Strip Mall, of course!"

* * *

 **Makoto's Point of View**

Though Mitsuru clung to me all the way here, the second our direction shifted to Bookworms (the book store) she let go and said she'd find us some food and that I could enjoy myself.

 _Pshh, you just hate the smell of old books, don't you?_

I walked in and was greeted by an old man behind the counter, "If you need any help, I'm right here."

"Alright, thanks," I replied.

He gave me a warm smile as I turned around and... _Wait, is he already asleep?_

The old man was indeed sleeping, standing up no less.

 _Impressive,_ is all I could think.

* * *

I began going through the aisles of books, not looking for anything in particular. Most books I'd passed, I've already read.

"Maybe I should've gone to Book On... Mitsuru would've loved it there," I thought aloud, thinking I'd been alone.

That is until I heard feminine grunts coming from the other side of the bookshelf.

"Stupid, tall bookshelves! Is this even standard size for a shelf!" the voice muttered, clearly angry.

I'd turned the corner into the voices aisle and saw a girl of short stature trying to reach a book on the top shelf. She had short, teal hair and had an annoyed look on her face. She was also wearing a Gekkoukan Junior High uniform, but I'd never seen her around.

I came up behind her, too busy struggling to notice me, and grabbed the book for her.

"Eeeek!" she exclaimed, bumping into the shelf, almost knocking it over.

"Here," I said holding the book out to her, a small smile forming on my face.

She was breathing fast, but soon slowed down.

"Thanks," she said as she took the book from my hands. "You didn't hear anything I said, did you?"

"Of course not," I lied. "Besides, its not your fault these shelves are tall."

She gasps aloud, face turning red, " You're really not funny, really..." she says with a red tinge across her cheek.

" I'm sure, I'm sure," I reply taking a glance at the book. " Ahh, _Dearest of the Night_. Good book."

"Yes, I've heard," she says, looking down. "I've been wanting to read this for such a long time."

"They both die in a house fire," I tell her.

"Excuse me?" she asks, utterly confused.

"The book... it ends with the two characters dying in each others arms in a house fire," I clarify.

The girl's eyes widen and I can sense an aura of pure hatred from her.

"You idiot!" she exclaims, as she hits me in the chest with the book. "Why, why, why, why would you do that?!"

"Well I was going to suggest you read another book, that one seems to _mature_ for you. I mean there's sex, tons of sex," I can see her face getting very, very red.

"Still, I don't even know your name and you're already ruining my life!" she exclaims.

"I don't even know your name and you're already assaulting me with books," I retort.

She gasps again and withdraws the book. She begins trying to calm herself down.

"Makoto Yuki," I say, sticking my hand out.

"Fuuka... Fuuka Yamagishi," she replies, taking my hand and shaking it.

"You go to Gekkoukan Junior High, right? I haven't seen you around," I asked.

"I'm in class 3-B, so that's probably why. Or maybe it's because I'm a little shy..." she answered, almost disappointingly.

"I see. Well I'm in class 3-A-" I was saying before I was cut off.

"I know who you are. All the girls are always talking about how 'hot' you are or how 'cool' you are. I've never seen you and I actually believ-" she quickly covered her mouth with her hands, turning all kinds of red.

I laugh almost uncontrollably. Fuuka regains her composure and gives me a light punch to the shoulder.

"Shut up..." she replies timidly.

"I'm sorry I should probably get going now, it's getting late. " I apologize. "Hey! We should hang out sometime."

"W-with you? As if," she replies, looking away.

"You're still gonna buy that book?" I inquire.

"Of course! But wait, is that really how the book ends?"

"Would I lie to you?" I say smugly as I slide out the door.

"Yuki, you sonaof-"

* * *

As I walk outside, I notice how cold it really is.

 _Man, it's really gotten chilly out here. Wait, where's Mitsuru?_

I look around until I notice the red haired girl sitting... not sitting, rather sleeping, on the bench.

 _Idiot._

"Mitsuru!" I call to her.

She lifts her head slowly and squints her eyes a little. She begins looking around her until she notices me, that's when a tired smile spreads across her face.

That smile is short-lived after I flick her in the forehead.

"Oww!" she whines.

"Idiot," is all I could say.

"What was that for?" she continues, looking at me with sad eyes.

"It's cold, the suns nearly down, and there's a beautiful girl sitting on a bench, not to add that she's asleep. You know this city is full of freaks and weirdos..." I reply.

"He thinks I'm beautiful," she whispers loudly with a tint of rose on her cheeks.

 _Did she hear anything else I said?_

I flick her on the forehead again.

"Oww! What was that for?" she cried.

"You were supposed to buy us food! I'm starving!" I reminded her.

"Yeah... I forgot," she said suddenly gripping a bag. A bag with the Book On logo plastered across it.

 _I knew it._

* * *

When we made it back to the dorm, we were greeted by a spectacled man with long, dark brown hair.

"Who are you?" asked Mitsuru, eyeing the man in front of us.

"Hello, my name is Shuji Ikutsuki and I'll be overseeing this dorm starting next year. Kirijo-San has asked me to stop by and introduce myself," the man replied.

Mitsuru and I looked at each other until we both decided it was ok to trust him.

"You must be Mitsuru," he points to her,"-and you must be Makoto," finally pointing to me.

"Indeed," she replied.

"Yes," I added.

"Good. Now that introductions are over I'd like to show you these," with that he pulled out three, manila files and put them on the table.

"What are these?" I asked.

"Those contain the files of students who are to move into this dorm starting next school year. They, too, have the potential," Ikutsuki explained.

 _Akihiko Sanada, Shinjiro Aragaki, and Yukari Takeba... So they're the same as us?_

As Mitsuru shuffled through the files, she suddenly froze up. There was a slight shake in her hand as she, nearly, inaudibly whispered, "Takeba..."

"Mitsuru? Are you alright?" I asked.

She cleared her throat, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

"I hope you all get along. Well, I should get going. I hope to see more of you two later," he smiled before getting up and exiting.

We were left alone in the lounge. We both sat on the sofa as I rummaged through the files.

"More people, huh," Mitsuru said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yep," was all I said.

"So no more alone time for the two of us..." she added.

"Mitsuru, we've had plenty of time together growing up. Don't you think new people is a nice change of pace?"

"It's not the people I'm upset about. I'm just going to miss it being just you and me," she admitted.

"Nobody could ever replace you, Mitsuru. Besides, we're practically together all the time," I told her.

That seemed to comfort her, as she suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her head into my chest.

I looked into her eyes, which gazed up towards mine. I could see tears manifesting in the corner of her eyes, a small frown forming, and that little nose scrunch she does before bawling her eyes out.

I could never stand to see her cry, so I'd always try to cheer up somehow. I slowly placed one of my headphones into her ear and the other into mine.

"W-what're you doing?" she asked.

All I did was give her a smile, as I changed the song on my MP3 player to a slow song.

"Here," I said as I stood up and extended my hand out to her.

I could see her gulp as she slowly took my hand and stood up, facing me. I moved my hands down to her hips, while she wrapped her arms around my neck.

Slowly we both began to move in unison as we danced to the music coming out of the headphones.

"What is this?" she asked softly.

"I think it's _Vespertine Bloom_ ," I answered.

"Not the song... I mean _this_ ," she clarified.

"Well we never got to dance, right?"

"Right..." she said as she lowered her head onto my shoulder.

We danced for what seemed like an eternity. Though we'd enjoyed each others company that night, we knew it would soon come to an end. But in that moment, all that mattered was her and I.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hi again. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. I apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors (if any) and for any inconsistencies in the writing. I hope you'll stick around for the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4: More Than One Heart

**Chapter 4: More Than One Heart**

 **Author's Note:** Hello and welcome to Chapter 4! There's not much I want to say except thank you all for your support on this story. I know I said this last chapter, but I believe that this has been my favorite chapter to have written, though I feel the ending is quite weak. Thank you for for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

"Mitsuru! On my left!" I yelled.

We were currently fighting our way up Tartarus, however even after all our fighting we've only managed to clear 3 floors.

"I got him!" she replied as, she quickly froze the enemy in question.

We were getting better at fighting. My fire complimented her ice. Together we were unbeatable.

However, fighting during the Dark Hour was quite exhausting. We tend to only fight once a week because of this. Though we both wanted to get stronger we couldn't manage to do much in such a short period.

But we have to get stronger. Not just for our sake, but for the sake of the new recruits. Ikutsuki mentioned yesterday that the first of the recruits should move in tomorrow. Which one is the mystery. The other two will probably move in sometime during the week, considering school starts back up next week.

At the moment, however, Mitsuru and I facing what appear to be a huge beetle.

"My Persona seems to have little effect on it," Mitsuru observed.

"Same here, and I'm feeling pretty tired too," I admit.

The giant beetle moves for an attack on me, but I narrowly evade the attack. At this point my breathing is somewhat erratic.

 _I really need to get into shape._

"Yuki, are alright?"

"I'm fine Mitsuru," I reply, as I slash at the beetle with my short sword.

Since we started coming back to Tartarus, Mitsuru has been constantly berating me about my health. It was understandable the first few times, but it's been nearly a month so it's sort of unnecessary by now. But it's also in Mitsuru's nature to care deeply for those she cares about, so I can't really blame her.

"Alright, then. Don't push yourself to hard, K'?" she said with a smile and a wink.

 _How can she do that when we're fighting such a tough foe?_

We continued to wear down on the enemy, relentless strikes over and over again. After a while we were finally able to cripple one of its many legs and it slumped down to recover. At this point, both of us were panting and hoping this battle would end.

"Hey," Mitsuru let out with a breath. "Let's go for an all-out attack."

"Right. Ladies first," I bowed smugly to her.

She sighed visibly as she began to move in, me only a step behind her.

"You'll fall by my hand!" she yelled.

We both charged at the beetle, landing strike after strike after strike. When stepped back to examine our handiwork, the beetle had disintegrated into a shower of dust.

"We did it," Mitsuru said triumphantly, big smile on her face.

"Yeah, we did," I replied as I smiled back to her. "This means we can go home, right?"

"I was hoping you'd say that, my body is aching."

* * *

As we got onto Mitsuru's motorcycle, I couldn't help but notice how bright the moon was during the Dark Hour.

"Creepy as it is, the Moon is really beautiful this hour," I thought aloud.

"It is, isn't it?" she replied.

I tightened my grip around Mitsuru and laid my head on her back.

"To imagine I was once horrified at even the idea of the Dark Hour. But now, I'm oddly at peace with it," I whispered, just loud enough for her to hear over the motorcycle engine, which was oddly quiet.

 _Must be electric._

"Life's greatest beauties are mysteries," she said.

"That's funny, because you're not much of a mystery," I joked.

In general, women themselves are a huge mystery. One that I will never be able to solve. But if that's the case, Mitsuru would not be a woman. I can read her like an open book, but I'd ever tell her that. Besides, if I had that philosophy Mitsuru would probably kill me for thinking that.

"Are you trying to say I'm beautiful?" she squeaked out.

"Yes, you're the most beautiful girl ever," I answered in a sarcastic monotone voice.

"Meanie…"

We exchanged no other word for the duration of the trip back, silently cruising along until we reached the dormitory. We both said good night and headed for a well-deserved sleep. I don't know about Mitsuru, but I fell asleep the second I hit my bed.

* * *

KNOCK-KNOCK!

It was early morning and Mitsuru had just set up breakfast.

"That must be them," I said.

"Yep…" she said almost solemnly.

I got up and headed towards the door, Mitsuru almost too close behind me. As I reached for the door handle, Mitsuru touched her hand softly to my back. I turned my head towards her and gave her a reassuring smile, and opened the door.

I was instantly greeted by two punches in the face.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" came a female voice. "I was going to knock again, since no one was answering. I didn't mean to hit you!"

As I begun to open my eyes I saw the girl who assaulted me in the face. She was average height for a girl. She had short, light-brown hair with dazzling brown eyes. She was wearing a pink tank top and blue jeans.

 _She's also really pretty…_

"It's no problem, really…" I winced at the pain in my nose.

"It is a problem, your nose is bleeding," she countered.

She dropped her luggage and quickly closed the difference between us. She stood on her toes to reach my height, which wasn't much, and got really close to my face. She pulled out a pink handkerchief and began to clean up the blood flowing from my nose. I've never been embarrassed in the presence of another girl, but she was turning me redder than a beet.

 _Red as a beet, gotta love those American sayings._

The brunette must've noticed because she too got flustered and quickly backed away.

"We haven't even introduced one another, and you're already assaulting me," I joked, hoping to ease the awkwardness in the air, still holding the girl's pink handkerchief.

"You must be Yukari Takeba," Mitsuru said behind me.

 _Was she always behind me?_

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you. Yes, my name Yukari Takeba. I'll be staying here as of today."

"Very well, I'm Mitsuru Kirijo."

"And you are?" Yukari asked, trying to maintain eye contact with me but was too embarrassed to actually look me in the eyes.

Before I had the opportunity to speak, Mitsuru had already begun talking, "His is name is Makoto Yuki, and I'd _**greatly**_ appreciate it if you'd refrain from making any physical contact with him whatsoever. He just got back from the hospital; I don't want him to go back because some girl couldn't keep her hands off him."

With that, Mitsuru had clung to my right arm tightly, giving Yukari a death stare.

"Eh?" Yukari chirped questioningly.

She looked at me, then Mitsuru. And as if she was struck by lightning, quickly realized what Mitsuru had meant.

"Oh! No no no no no. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just being courteous that's all."

"I'm sure you did," Mitsuru replied disbelievingly. "Just stay away from him if you know what's good for you."

"Mitsuru," I gently shrugged her off. "Don't go scaring off the new members on their first day."

"I'm sorry it's just that I'm…"

"Worried about me?" I finished for her. "Mitsuru, it's been nearly a month since I was in the hospital, I think I'll be fine."

Yukari has said nothing the entire time, and I could literally feel the awkwardness levels rising.

"Why don't you go finish breakfast, while I help Yukari with her things?" I offered to Mitsuru.

"Yeah, ok." Mitsuru said, before heading back to the table to eat.

I grabbed Yukari's things and lead her to her new room.

* * *

"So are you two, like, dating or something?" Yukari asked shyly.

"No, though I'm sure she likes to think that."

I began helping Yukari unpack. From the looks of it, Yukari seemed to be more 'grown-up' compared to Mitsuru, if personal items indicated anything. Though she may act like an adult and appear to be mature, she's still the little girl I grew up with. From her public appearance, one would never be able to tell that she reads manga all night and still watches her favorite cartoons when nobody is around. Nobody except for me.

"So, I'm sure Ikutsuki has already briefed you on what we are?" I asked.

"Yes, he said something about having the 'potential' and having the ability to summon a 'Persona'."

"Good," I replied. "We'll be able to determine that next week. For now, just relax and try to settle in. We'll brief you and the other members about the whole situation later."

"Ok,"

It's apparent that Yukari's favorite color must be pink, evident that nearly all of her possessions are pink.

As we're unpacking, I get a better look at Yukari. She is beautiful, for lack of a better word. Her body is fits her perfectly, with fantastic curves up and down her body. Though she isn't comparable to Mitsuru, as it's be like comparing a sunrise to a sunset. They're both beautiful, in their own respects.

Though Yukari hasn't noticed, it's apparent to me that I've been staring at her too long.

 _Thank God, nobody's around to see me stari-_

"Yuki! It's inappropriate to stare at a girl, other than me, for such a long period of time!" Mitsuru declared, barging into the room, startling both me and Yukari.

"M-Mitsuru! How long were you watching?!" I questioned.

"Long enough."

I looked back at Yukari, only to see her as embarrassed I was.

"For the record, I wasn't staring at her, I was admiring," Mitsuru glared hard at me. "I mean I was examining her."

The air felt heavy and tension was high.

"Umm… Hey! I'm starving, so why don't you help Yukari unpack, Mitsuru?" I suggested.

Before Mitsuru could answer, I was already running down the hall.

* * *

 **Mitsuru's Point of View**

So it appears Makoto has abandoned me and left me with this... girl. I'll be the first to admit that I don't like this girl. Fawning over Makoto, completely disregarding my presence. It's my duty to worry about him, not some newcomer.

 _Ugh, if Makoto hadn't asked me to do this, I could be enjoying my breakfast with him._

"So, um, Makoto is pretty cute, huh?" came her voice.

"He's Yuki, to you. And it's highly inappropriate for you to be thinking about him like that." I responded coldly.

"I don't see why I can't, after all he is single. Isn't that right?" Yukari retorted, smirking at my baffled expression.

"W-w-what makes you think that. Of c-course he's not single," I stammer out. "I'll have you know, that he is mine and I am his. Let's just leave it at that."

"Ha, don't make me laugh. That's the complete opposite of what he told me. He said it's only a delusion of yours," she replied, with a laugh. "If the future head of the Kirijo Group can lie so obviously, I wonder how long it'll last."

I was furious at her jabs towards me. She could probably notice, because she was laughing at my expense. I could feel the stinging in my eyes, so I quickly departed the room and headed towards my own.

 _Why doesn't Makoto feel the same way..._

It hurt me to know that he disregards my feelings so openly. I slam my door louder than I meant to, and jumped onto my bed. I cried into my pillow for a long time, until I heard a knock on the door.

* * *

 **Yukari's Point of View**

Yikes, I didn't mean to go that far. But how could I forgive a Kirijo? After all, it's their fault that my life has been miserable.

I smile at myself, proud of what I did, yet something inside me regrets it.

"Whatever," I say, as I shrug my shoulders.

I could feel my stomach ache for food.

"I shouldn't have skipped breakfast," I frown.

 _Hey, isn't Mako- Yuki eating breakfast now? Maybe I should join him..._

* * *

I climbed down to flights of stairs until I reached the first floor of the dorm. I quickly find my way to the dining room, to find the boy eating his breakfast. _Alone..._

"Yahello, Yuki-kun!"

He nearly chokes on his food, upon my sudden intrusion. I quickly more behind him and begin rubbing his back gently.

"I'm sorry, Yuki-kun," I apologize with a cute smile. "Are you alright?"

After a few coughs he finally replies,"Yeah, I'm good."

I peak over his shoulder to see his face colored red.

 _I must make him feel embarrassed, how cute!_

"Uhm..." he begins to say.

"Yes, Yuki-kun? What is it"?

"Uh, as nice as it is, could you please stop rubbing my back?"

"Sure," I answer.

I bring my hand slowly down his back, running my index finger down his spine, before lifting it up off his lower back. I can easily see him shudder, and his face was redder than before.

"So Yuki-kun, whatcha eatin'?" I ask.

"S-some waf-f-fles," he stammers out. "M-Mitsuru made some, a-a lot actually. You could h-have s-some if you'd l-like."

 _An opening._

"Well since you offered..." I say in a cutesy voice.

I bend down over his lap, glancing up to see a red, horrified face. I took the fork from his hand and ate the piece of waffle that was on it. I make sure to take my time taking the fork from my mouth, looking up at Yuki while doing so. He's visibly shaking, _so cute!_

"It's soooo delicious, Yuki-kun! Here," I say, as I stab a piece of waffle from the plate and hold it to his mouth.

He slowly moves his head forward and takes a bite of the waffle. He swallows it without even chewing.

"Y-yep!" he says loudly. "It's very g-good. Could you please get off me now.

He glances over my upper body, the part that's hovering over his lap. I can see his eyes wandering all around it. He shuts his eyes fast, and shakes his head.

"Aww, awright," I say in the cutest way possible, as I straighten myself out.

He clears his throat multiple times before he speaks again.

"Where's Mitsuru? I thought she was helping you unpack."

"Well, I kinda said some things that may, or may not have, upset her," I admit."I think she ran to her room."

He looks down at his plate and balls his hands into fists.

"Could you please apologize to her?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking you to apologize to her," he says, still maintaining his composure.

"Why should I? If you knew the hell I've had to live through because of her family, you'd understand why I can't do that."

"The Kirijos... they're good people. Trust me, I grew up with them. They're the only family I have..."

I feel horrible now. I didn't know, how could I know?

"...So please, just apologize to her. It'll make living here a whole lot easier."

"O-ok."

I exit the room and head back up the stairs.

* * *

I stare at the door belonging to Mitsuru. I can hear her crying even though the door. It's as if she's right next to me.

 _Oh man, I've really messed up this time._

I take a deep breath and knock on the door.

"Makoto?" she says loudly.

"Makoto!" she is obviously very happy, even though she doesn't know that it's just me.

I can hear her leap off the bed. I can hear the quick patters of her feet on the carpet. I can hear her... _trip over something?_

"Oww," came her voice on the other side of the door.

"I'm coming in!" I yell quickly.

I open the door to find Mitsuru on the ground, looking bewildered that it was me and not Yuki.

I scan her room fast. It was a very nice room, probably more expensive than the apartments I've lived in. Everything is so ornate, she even has her own chandelier.

 _If her room is this nice, I wonder what Yuki's is like._ I smile at the thought.

"What do you want!?" Mitsuru yells at me.

"I came to apologize..."

"Apologize?"

"Yes, Makoto-kun said to-"

"It's Yuki- _san_ , to you," she corrected.

"Whatever, will you accept my apology or not, Kirijo-sama," I said in a sarcastic tone.

"Ahem, I will accept your apology, if it means we won't hate each other forever," she says.

"Ok, I'm fine with that. I'm going to go finish unpacking now," I tell her."And one more thing."

"What is it?" she asks questioningly.

"I'm going to get Makoto, one way or another. Even if you're in my way."

"The nerve!" Mitsuru exclaims.

"Good luck, Kirijo-sama," I say sarcastically as I shut her door.

* * *

 **Makoto's Point of View**

That was disastrous. It could've gone better, but it was to be expected. I hope they get along in the future. All that's left is for the other two to get here. I'm glad they're going to be guys. Living alone with two girls- women is dangerous.

School starts up next week and I look forward to meeting the new members.

 **Author's Note:** So I loved writing from Yukari's perspective. Her contrast to Mitsuru was one of the best things to write about. There are some little nuances in this chapter that I really liked and I hope you all can catch them. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in chapter 5!

 **P.S.:** If anyone would like to submit a cover photo for this story, that'd be great. If you'd like to, PM me.


	5. Chapter 5: Deep Breath Deep Breath

**Chapter 5: Deep Breath Deep Breath**

 **Author's Note:** Hi and welcome to Chapter 5! This chapter is quite long and would've been longer, but I decide to split it in half and make it into two chapters. Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this story. Please review the story, it means a lot to see your thoughts and opinions on the story. I really liked this chapter, and I hope you do too.

* * *

"Go, Polydeuces!" yelled the white-haired boy.

With that, lightning struck down from seemingly out of nowhere weakening the foe to his knees.

"Now finish him off, Shinji," he added.

He took a huge battle axe, one that definitely compliments his own size, and struck down on the foe, cutting it in half with brute force alone. The Shadow disappeared into a plume of dust, and out erupted cheers of victory from the white-haired boy.

"Way to go, Shinji! We make one helluva team!"

"I'm sure the battle could've been over a lot sooner if _he_ had helped out," Shinji said, pointing his finger towards me.

Somehow the focus of the conversation turned towards me, and I could see a frown form on Akihiko's face (the white-haired guy).

"Ahem," I cleared my throat. "I merely wanted to examine how you new recruits did and I must say you two did great."

" _Did you notice how Shinjiro-san hadn't even used his Persona once? He must rely more on strength than anything."_ came a voice in my ear.

Since we have more than enough members now, Mitsuru volunteered to operate in the Command Room back at the dorm. She said her Persona, aside from actual fighting, could be used to gain battle information.

" _Right. And did you see how fast Akihiko was, not to mention he's using his fists to beat the Shadows to a pulp. I think he's more open to the idea of Personas than Shinjiro,"_ I replied back.

" _I'll continue to gather data on the others, take care of yourself,"_ she said.

I nodded to nothing in particular and proceeded towards the two, new members. They both came to the dorm two days after Yukari had arrived, and while they're entrance wasn't as dramatic as Yukari's, it certainly wasn't normal.

* * *

 **A Week Ago**

I'd just woken up. The sunlight beaming through my windows had hit me like a bullet. I felt blind, my eyes were stinging and I think I felt a tear go down the side of my face.

"Ugh, I hate mornings," I groaned aloud.

I rolled off my bed and fell to the floor, my face and knees hitting the ground at the same time, resulting in extreme pain overall.

"Agh! I hate mornings!"

* * *

After that entire SNAFU, I got dressed and went downstairs to get some breakfast. However as I walked towards the stairs, I could hear the two girls arguing over something. Though I couldn't completely understand them, I could tell that they were both very angry. I sighed and continued on anyway.

"You are not cooking breakfast for us!" I could hear Mitsuru yell.

"Good! I only want to cook for me and him anyway!" I could hear Yukari retort.

"No no no no nononononono! Only I can cook for him. Why don't you just burn yourself a piece of toast," Mitsuru had said, as they both came into my view.

"What's that supposed to mean!? I can guarantee that I'm a better cook!" Yukari said, with a stamp of her foot.

"I'll have you know, Makoto has always **loved** my cooking. He can't get enough of it!"

"I'm sure if I was thrown into prison, I'd learn to **love** the food there as well!" Yukari replied triumphantly, obviously proud of her little jab.

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN!?" Mitsuru roared.

This is getting really out of hand. At this rate, I'm sure actual blood will be shed. As scary as it is, I guess I should intervene right now.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Yukari said as she inched closer.

"I'm sorry; I don't really understand what a plebian like you has to say. Obviously those of the lower class never have anything intelligent to say," Mitsuru said with a sinister smile on her face, one that I've never seen in my entirety of knowing her.

Also, Mitsuru had never used her class status to ever put anyone down. I never thought she acknowledged that her status was higher than those around her. I imagined she thought herself equal to others, or so I thought.

"You… y-you… YOU BITC—"Yukari stopped when she saw me walk into the kitchen.

"M-Makoto… Good Morning! D-did you sleep well?" Yukari had transformed entirely.

I saw Mitsuru, frown on her face, glance over at Yukari, and though I thought she was going to continue yelling at her, she said, "I would appreciate it if you'd call him Yuki, at the very least."

They'd both completely changed. One second ago they were at each other's throats, now it's as if they're comfortable strangers.

"Um, well I slept just fine. Were you two arguing about something?" I decided to pretend I didn't hear anything.

"Yes, we were trying to decide who should make breakfast," Mitsuru said softly. "How much of it did you hear?"

"I could hear you two, but I couldn't understand what you were saying," I lied.

"R-right," Mitsuru said, probably seeing straight through my lies.

Ever since we were little, Mitsuru could always tell when I was lying. When it came to me, she could read me like an open book.

 _Are my feelings and thoughts that open?_

"Anyways," Yukari had started in a peppy voice. "Who do you want to cook breakfast, Mako-… Yuki-kun?"

"It's Yuki-san to you," Mitsuru hissed.

"Whatever," Yukari scoffed.

"Why don't I prepare breakfast for us all? Yukari, you just moved in, I don't want you to strain yourself," I said. "And Mitsuru you've done all the cooking, why not take a break?"

"It's fine Makoto, I love cooking for yo-"

Yukari cut her off when she said," Right! I am in your care, Yuki-kun!"

I smiled uneasily at them and sent them to the dining table.

* * *

At the table I began setting out three bowls. One in front of Mitsuru, another for Yukari, and finally one for me.

"Thanks Yuki-kun!" Yukari said with a smile and wink.

"Yuki-san, to you!" Mitsuru quickly snapped at her.

"It's fine, Mitsuru," I said with a smile.

She began to blush, "A-as l-long as i-it's f-fine with y-you."

"Sooo, what will you serve us Yuki-kun?" Yukari chimed in.

"I'm glad you asked."

Almost out of thin air, I produced cereal and milk out from behind my back. Both of the girls looked at each other, utterly confused. I proceeded to pour the contents of cereal and milk into each of our bowls and sat myself down to eat.

"B-but Makoto… what happened to croissants, éclairs, brioche, or even pain au chocolat?" Mitsuru questioned.

In truth, French cuisines were more of her style, besides I had no idea how to cook those.

Before I had a chance to explain, Yukari loudly squealed in delight.

"Mhmmm, this is so great Yuki-kun!" obviously exaggerating. "I really appreciate the thought you put into this meal, unlike a certain other person."

"R-right," I said, smiling very nervously.

 _Woman, it's just cereal and milk._

As if she was punched in the gut, Mitsuru's eyes widened. I saw her reach for her spoon and proclaimed aloud, "No one appreciates this meal more than I do, Makoto!"

She began to eat fast and furiously, as if she hadn't eaten in days. Yukari, shocked at what she was seeing, put on the most determined face she could produce and began to match the devouring speed of Mitsuru.

I never thought I'd see two girls eating cereal so ferociously. Today was certainly a day of firsts I thought.

"M-more!" Mitsuru yelled with a mouth full of cereal. She extended her bowl out towards me.

I quickly obliged and poured more milk and cereal into her bowl.

"M-m-more, pleashh!" Yukari had said with her mouth full as well.

I laughed nervously and tended to her bowl.

Immediately after Mitsuru had extended her bowl out once more. I could barely make out her saying 'more'. I frowned at her bowl when I saw it was nearly full.

"But Mitsuru, you haven't even finished this one yet…"

With mouth full, cheeks puffed, she sent me a glare that'd make a grown man cry. If I wasn't so terrified I'd probably be mesmerized by her cute appearance.

As I was distracted by Mitsuru, Yukari had also stuck out her bowl towards me.

"Yukari, you literally ate nothing from the second bowl…"

Instead of glaring at me, Yukari had put on the cutest set of 'puppy-dog' eyes I'd seen.

"Uhh," I gulped as both girls stared at me.

 _BANG-BANGBANG-BANG-BANGBANGBANG_ came from the door.

"Saved by the bell," I thought aloud as I got up and headed towards the door.

"Whot ish thad shupposhed to mhean?" they both asked at the same time, as I exited the room.

* * *

 _BANG-BANGBANGBANG-BANG_ continued the banging at the door.

"I'm coming!" I yelled.

 _Someone is making mad combos on the door._

But the banging still continued. As I got closer to the door I could hear two voices at the door.

"You shouldn't be beating the door like that," came one voice.

"You always got to be training, Shinji! Besides this door seems really sturdy," another voice replied, probably the one beating on the door.

I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Unfortunately I was greeted by two consecutive jabs to the stomach and, as I doubled-over, an uppercut straight to the chin, which sent me flying onto my back.

"Shit, Akihiko. You just assaulted that guy." the one I'm assuming is Shinji, said calmly.

"Damn, my apologies," said the guy who knocked me on my back.

"Ugh, it's nothing," I groaned. "But getting assaulted by people I don't know is becoming routine nowadays."

As I opened my eyes I could see who I believe is Akihiko kneeling at my fallen body. He had white hair, unusual for someone our age, and looked really fit. From his t-shirt alone, you could see his biceps were clearly defined, impressive for someone our age.

The other who I'm assuming is 'Shinji' had long dark hair covered by a beanie. Despite the warmer weather, he wore a maroon pea coat and black jeans. If I didn't know better, I'd easily assume he's a delinquent.

"Seriously?" the white-haired boy questioned.

"Yeah," I laughed subtly. "I keep getting hit by people I don't k-"Akihiko cut me off.

"If getting hit by me was nothing for you, why don't you become my sparring partner!?"

 _And here I thought he was concerned about my health._

"Haha, you could at least introduce yourselves to me first," I say.

Akihiko stands up and slams his fist into his chest, "I'm Akihiko Sanada and this is my brother, Shinjiro Aragaki."

"We're not actually brothers," Shinjiro says clarifies, obviously bored of the situation.

"C'mon, Shinji! We practically are!" Akihiko argues.

"Whatever you say," Shinjiro says, ending whatever argument may have arisen.

"Cool," I say, amused at what transpired.

"The name's Makoto Yuki. I welcome you to your new dorm," I say as I spread my arms out horizontally, while still lying on the ground. I assume it was a humorous gesture because I thought I saw Shinjiro crack a smile.

"What's going on!?" I heard a yell from behind me. It was Mitsuru.

She ran over to my side and lifted my head.

"Are you alright?" she said as she put a hand on my forehead, as if I had a fever.

She still had bits of cereal and milk on her mouth, which made me chuckle a bit.

"YUKI-KUN!" I heard Yukari yell.

She, too, had ran to my side and began examining my body as if she was a certified doctor.

"It's obviously something wrong with his legs, numbskull!" Yukari had said quickly putting her hands all over my leg. "Why else would he have fallen?"

"I think you're too dense to realize he may have blacked out and collapsed." Mitsuru said.

I think they both failed to realize the two other guys in the room, both of which were staring with wonder in their eyes.

"Guys… I'm fine. It's nothing that won't recover by itself," I tell the two girls. "Besides, isn't it rude to not acknowledge someone's presence in the room?" I point to Akihiko and Shinjiro.

"Huh?" they both say simultaneously, as they look to the area at which I'm pointing.

"Uh, ahem," with the same fist to chest motion Akihiko began to speak," I'm-"

Mitsuru accidently let my head fall to the ground, which was obviously very painful. Both girls stood up at lightning speed, clearly embarrassed, and glanced over each other. They'd realized they have yet to change out of their pajamas and have yet to make themselves look decent. They both screamed and ran towards and up the stairs.

I sighed aloud, "The redhead is Mitsuru Kirijo and the brunette is Yukari Takeba. I'm sure they're happy to meet you."

With a huge smile Akihiko began to speak, "If that's what living here is going to be like, I'm glad to be here!"

Shinjiro, on the other hand, just snickered to himself.

With all the pain I endured that morning, all I could say was, "I hate mornings."

* * *

 **Present Day**

After all that happened, everything went quite smooth. They both unpacked their things in their rooms and properly got to meet Mitsuru and Yukari. They both seem really cool and I was glad to have more men in the dorm.

As I walked back towards them, Yukari roughly latched onto my body. "Wow, I didn't know you had so much muscle Yuki-kun!"

I gulped heavily. _I hope the others don't see this…_

I quickly stammered out, "O-oh wel-l-l…...I-I've b-been get-ting into s-shape r-recently."

"I can tell!" Yukari exclaimed loudly, making me blush madly. "Did you see my battle!? I totally annihilated that shadow. Did you see?'

"W-well n-no… I was watching those two fight," I replied as I pointed to Akihiko and Shinjiro.

"Aww, you meanie," Yukari responded as she gripped tighter on my body.

" _Yuki…"_ I could hear the irritation in Mitsuru's voice. _"Who are you talking to?"_

" _Nobody in particular,"_ I lied.

" _Yuki, you do realize I can see everything that's happening now?"_

" _Uh, well, it's… how should I put this it's…"_

" _IT"S YUKARI!"_ she yelled into my ear.

" _I don't think she realizes that I already knew that, right Yuki?"_ I heard Mitsuru chuckle.

" _Yeah…right,"_ I reply.

"What'd she say? What'd she say? What's she say?" Yukari asked excitedly. "Is she jealous that I have my hands all over you? Is she? Is she?"

"She hasn't mentioned it," I say, trailing off. "She's definitely annoyed though."

" _Yuki, get her hands off of you… now"_

"Umm," I began. "I think Mitsuru would prefer it if you let go of me now..."

"Aww, but what is she going to do? She's all the way back there and you're here with _**me**_ , so we should enjoy it, right?" Yukari said seductively.  
 _  
"YUKI, I WILL EXECUTE YOU!"_ came Mitsuru's voice.

After she said that, I scrambled to break loose of Yukari's hold. Mitsuru's 'executions' are nothing to be trifled with. When we were children, I once recorded an episode of _Phoenix Ranger Featherman R_ over a TV show she had previously recorded. That night was the first time I'd been 'executed' and after that anytime I angered her, she would 'execute me'.

Once I finally broke Yukari's grip, I let out a loud sigh of relief. Of course Yukari had something to say.

"What? Did she, like, threaten you or something? If I was your girlfriend I would never, do that."

"Please, Yukari. Not now. Let's just join those two."

"Uh, okay…"

We walked our way towards the other part of the group, and decided we were too tired to continue, so we went home.

* * *

"What the Hell was that Yuki!" Mitsuru was scolding me.

We were both in the Command Room. I had taken a seat in a single chair, but Mitsuru seemed satisfied standing up.

I tried to play dumb, "Whatever do you mean, my dear Mitsuru?"

"Don't you 'my dear' me! You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Mitsuru…"

"Why are you so blind?" she said, sadness apparent in her voice.

I squint my eyes jokingly, hoping to relieve some tension.

But she isn't laughing.

Instead, she slaps me hard across the cheek with enough force to knock a normal person out.

"You think this is all some joke, don't you!? You've never once noticed how I feel! Am I invisible to you!" she screamed, tears rolling down her face.

I was in shock. I wasn't blinking. I wasn't breathing. I was completely still, holding my hand up to my cheek. It felt as if I'd died, came back to life, and then died again. I slowly turned my head towards Mitsuru.

"SAY SOMETHING! SAY SOMETHING, YOU IDIOT!"

At that moment, my senses returned to me. My breathing, though erratic, continued. I blinked the tears out of my eyes.

Before she could say anything else, I lunged forward and grabbed Mitsuru in my arms. I 'tackled' her into the table holding her tightly.

"LET GO OF me…" she trailed off before crying uncontrollably into my shoulder.

It was an awkward position, lying on the table while she cried her eyes out. Though I'm sure this had calmed her down, because she'd fallen asleep in my arms.

So there we lied on the table, her in my arms: asleep. I thought it'd be bad if someone had caught us, so I carefully got up and carried her to her room.

* * *

I haven't seen her room in a while, so I was surprised to see it was a complete mess. Back when we shared a room, she'd always get mad if I left anything on the floor. She was a clean-freak, but you couldn't tell if you saw the shape of her room now.

Clothes were strewn all over, balls of paper were scattered; having missed the trash bin, her bed has yet to be made, her make-up desk is disorganized, bathrobes are laid on the ground, and it appears she hasn't even opened her blinds yet.

I slump her down into her bed and pull the covers over her. In doing so, a notebook fell out from moving the covers. I picked it up to examine it. The cover originally showed multiple female, anime characters on it, but most of them had been covered by flower and heart stickers.

"How girly…" I said to myself.

I opened it up to the first page. It read, _"This is the private diary of Mitsuru Kirijo. If you aren't allowed to read this, I'll make sure you disappear."_

 _How scary…_

I continued reading, _"Especially if you're an icky boy, you'll disappear immediately. Unless you're Mako-chan! Mako-chan, if you're reading this you're NOT SUPPOSED TOO! I'll tell Dad on you!"_

 _This must be a very old notebook. She hasn't called me Mako-chan in years…_

I shrug off her 'threat' and proceed to read through anyway.

" _January 1: Mako-chan and I went to the shrine together today! I wore a Kimono that Dad bought me!_

 _Mako-chan refused to call me pretty… until I forced him to. I knew he wanted me too."_

 _That was truly a terrifying day,_ I thought.

I skipped farther ahead, until I reached about a year ago…

" _May 8: Today is my Birthday! I turn 14 today! Mako-chan refuses to give me a birthday kiss… but he does take me to Book-On. He said he'd get me anything I want. He made this the best Birthday ever!"_

That's right her birthday is coming up soon, _what should I do?_

I brush that aside and read more.

" _April 3: Yuki still hasn't noticed me. Why won't he notice me? He only sees Takeba… What does she have that I don't… I'm beautiful! I'm rich! I'm smart! EVERYONE WANTS ME!... Except the one that really matters."_

That was written today…

I closed up the notebook and set it on her desk. I opened up the blinds a bit and looked up towards the moon. Just looking at the full moon made me sleepy, so I left her room, but not before saying goodnight.

* * *

Even after everything he heard and saw, he still couldn't see her feelings.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So I had to end it on a, somewhat, sad note. Akihiko and Shinji were introduced. For clarification, everyone in the dorm is around the same age and will enter Gekkoukan High in the same grade. Also, this is still a Makoto x Mitsuru fanfic so don't fret. I'm trying to take a realistic approach to the development of the characters, so just hang in there! One more thing, Mitsuru differs greatly from her actual counterpart. In this, Mitsuru is a lot 'softer' on others because she had Makoto to grow up with. And that is all! I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and please review, favorite, follow, or whatever!

*"Whot ish thad shupposhed to mhean?" translates to "What is that supposed to mean?"

P.S.: Still looking for cover art, if you're interest ed!

P.S.S: Might update early!


	6. Chapter 6: Memories of the School

**Chapter 6: Memories of the School**

 **Author's Note:** Welcome to Chapter 6! I originally intended for this to be a part of Chapter 5, but it was way too long so now here's the next update. I know I've said it before, but I absolutely LOVE this chapter! I apologize in advance for any mistakes, this was a really tiring chapter (worked on it for six hours straight). This Chapter clocks in at about 5,435 words, so it's pretty long for my standards. Please review; it's a treat to hear from all of you (that rhymed). Thank you all so much, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Velvet Room**

Ever since I'd been introduced to the Velvet Room, I've become somewhat of a regular. I've gotten to know Elizabeth quite well, while Igor is still an enigma. Elizabeth is always excited to see me, as if she hasn't seen me in ages. Despite the frequency of my visits, I feel as though there is a lot I don't yet know. When I come here, time doesn't move. It's a strange place and apparently only I can see and enter. Though I still feel its inhabitants are a lot stranger than the room itself.

As I entered, Elizabeth greeted me with her customary hug and squeal. She'd told me that she was going to explain one of the Velvet Room's features.

"We're going to introduce you to a new system, called 'Elizabeth's Requests'!"

"'Elizabeth's Requests'? I thought you were going to explain some parts of the Velvet Room."

"My requests are an integral part of the Velvet Room. Without them, I fear I will collapse of boredom."

"I see. So if you collapse of boredom, this place will cease to exist."

"It's nothing as severe as that. But a grumpy Elizabeth equals an unpleasant visit," she said with a smile.

"That's definitely something I don't want. So how do these requests work?" I ask.

"It's simple. I give you requests and you fulfill them for rewards! Here's a list of my first requests!" she says as she squeals in delight.

I read from the list aloud, "Bring me Takoyaki. Reward ¥200. You do realize Takoyaki costs ¥400 where I'm from, right?"

"Oh… my apologies," she said in a sad tone. "I haven't been to the Human World, so I don't know how things work over there…"

"Don't get upset! I'll bring you your Takoyaki." I assured her.

"Great! And don't forget the other requests!"

I can't help but feel that I was guilt-tripped into taking up her requests.

I let out an audible sigh and glanced over the list again.

"What is High Cut Armor? Will it protect me more from the Shadows?" I asked.

Elizabeth let out a laugh, "While it does add to one's own defense, I would recommend giving it to one of the female members of your group. Let's just say it's definitely worth bringing me a SoBay."

"Alright, I'll be sure to do that." I said as I walked towards the exit.

"Wait, Yuki-sama. You begin High School tomorrow, correct?" Elizabeth asked.

"That's right. First day at Gekkoukan High," I replied.

"As a special request… Would you mind taking me there one day?" Elizabeth asked, unusually shy.

I smiled at her, "Of course. Anything for you Elizabeth."

"Then it's a date!" she exclaimed.

I blushed intensely. _I don't think she understands what a 'date' is._

"Right, I'll be off now." I said as I exited.

"Farewell Yuki-sama!"

* * *

 **Iwatodai Dormitory**

"That is one HELL of a mark, ain't it Shinji?" Akihiko exclaimed loudly.

"Yeah, man. What the hell happened to you?" Shinjiro asked as he got a closer examination of the red, hand mark on my left cheek.

"It looks like you got into a lover's quarrel," Akihiko joked as he leaned in closer to my ear. "Which one was it?" he whispered.

I casually pushed him back into his seat and said, "It wasn't a 'lover's quarrel'. I just… disobeyed an order, that's all."

"She's got you on a tight leash, huh? That's exactly why I'm single," Akihiko said as he victoriously threw his fist into the air.

"You're single because you don't talk to girls," Shinjiro remarked.

Akihiko's hand fell from the sky as he slumped into his chair. Shinjiro chuckled at the sight and patted his friend on the back. At that moment, both Mitsuru and Yukari emerged from the kitchen. Both donned an apron and held their own breakfast dish on their platter.

"Good morning everyone, I'd like to remind you that we all start our lives as Gekkoukan High students starting today," Mitsuru reminded us.

"I'm pretty sure they already know that," Yukari quipped. "They wouldn't be in the school uniforms otherwise."

"If you hadn't interrupted, I might've been able to get to my point." Mitsuru shot back. "Anyway, I want you all to study hard and try to live as normal of a life as possible. Just because you fight Shadows at night does not give you an excuse to slack off."

Everyone, even Yukari, nodded in understanding. Besides, Mitsuru and I have been at this Shadow business for a while now and not once have our grades slipped. Except maybe at last year's exam… I don't really like thinking about it.

"If we're all in agreement, I think it's time we eat," Mitsuru declared.

Mitsuru made a clear beeline for my plate.

"Here Makoto," she said with a smile.

She took one of her homemade croissants from her platter. The smell was mesmerizing; nothing could compete with her croissants.

"T-thanks," I said, turning my head slightly to the right. It was hard for me to maintain eye contact with her now. She's done a complete reversal, as if she forgot last night even happened.

"Oh my…" she whispered as she noticed the red-hand marked on my cheek.

She brought her hand up to my cheek. Though it stung from any direct contact, Mitsuru's hand was like velvet. Soft and tender, it's as if all the pain had been sucked away. I moved my left hand onto her hand, holding a pressing it onto my cheek. She gasped slightly, but not for long. I moved my eyes up to look at her. She was smiling softly, eyes closed, with a red tint across her face.

"Aha, your hand aligns perfectly to that wound, wouldn't you say Mitsuru?" Yukari said smugly.

Mitsuru's eyes darted opened and she quickly withdrew her hand, finally realizing that she's in the presence of others.

"Um, yes. I'd have to agree with you for once, Yukari…"

"Haha! She even admits it. Y'know, Yuki-kun, if _**I**_ was your girlfriend I'd never hit you."

"But you're not," I said coldly.

"Ehh? I'm sorry; I don't think I heard you correctly," Yukari asked, confused.

"Look, could we just end this conversation now… I'm starving." I said as I began to eat the meal laid before me.

"Yeah… I guess we should," Yukari said as she began to pass put the biscuits she made for breakfast.

As I finished off Mitsuru's croissant, I began to dig into the biscuit. I took one bite and it's was as if I'd gone to Heaven. I stared at the biscuit in wonderment. Everything about it was perfect. Not to mention it was also a perfect circle. I'm sure Yukari saw me in this state, because she started speaking to me. Of course I was too distracted to even notice.

I quickly snapped back to reality, "Did you say something?"

Yukari smirked, "I said, it's really good isn't it?"

"Good? It's great," I said as I took another bite.

"Better than her crescents?" Yukari egged on.

I gagged on the piece I was eating.

"It's no surprise that you can't even pronounce it correctly. It's _croissants_ , not _crescents_." Mitsuru said.

"Whatever," Yukari scoffed. "Well, Yuki-Kun? Is It?"

I tried to avoid answering, since I knew it would anger either of the girls.

"A-anyway Yukari… Who taught you to cook like this?" I asked.

"Well, it was my father's recipe. He'd always make them for special occasions. After he...y'know, died… I kinda learned it by until I could recite it by heart, "she said solemnly. "Someone had to continue on his tradition," she'd perked up.

I looked around the room. Akihiko and Shinjiro were silently eating their own food. I think they realized it'd be smart not to talk. Yukari was trying to perk up, but obviously I had unintentionally brought back painful memories. I looked at Mitsuru, who had a horrified expression on her face.

She stood up, startling everyone at the table. She tried to speak, opening her mouth but nothing would come out. Her eyes were directed straight at Yukari, but they weren't filled with malice. Instead they were filled with sympathy.

I cleared my throat, which got her attention, "Mitsuru, Yukari, shouldn't you two get dressed now. If you don't start now, I fear we'll be late on the first day."

Yukari glanced up at the clock, "Crap… I need at least thirty minutes to get ready! Excuse Me!"

With that, she ran up the stairs. Mitsuru looked at me, her eyes seeming to say, "Thanks." She also excused herself, and began up the stairs.

"Damn, everything here's a ticking time bomb isn't it?" Akihiko finally let out.

"You can't talk about anything without upsetting someone here," Shinjiro added.

I held the half-eaten biscuit to the light, "Not even biscuits are sacred."

* * *

Akihiko and Shinjiro decided to leave before anyone else. Though I thought they were new to the area, apparently they know they're way around.

"Are you sure? We could all go together," I told them.

"Don't worry; we know what we're doing!" Akihiko exclaimed enthusiastically as he was halfway out the door.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Shinjiro muttered as he followed behind him.

I sighed as they left, for now I was stuck alone with the girls. Not that I minded, except rumors are bound to start if other students see me escorting two lovely girls to school. I doubt it'd negatively impact me, not that I care or anything.

As I was deep in thought, I failed to hear the clacking of heels descending from the stairs.

"Ma-Makoto… h-how do I l-look?" came Mitsuru's voice behind me.

I turned around to see Mitsuru dressed in an outfit that wasn't exactly the school's uniform, however one could easily identify her as a Gekkoukan High student. She wore a blindingly, white blouse with a red ribbon tied around her neck. She wore a black skirt, complimented with long, black high-heeled boots. In short, she was dazzling.

"I-I love High School!" I yelled, with a stupid grin on my face.

Mitsuru was taken aback by my outburst; getting embarrassed and flustered.

"Should I change or…"she said shyly.

"No, definitely not! You look great," I told her.

"O-ok, but only because you said so…" she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"I don't think our Student Council Representative would be as effective if she only listened to what I have to say," I teased.

"S-stop, you tease too much," Mitsuru replied. "Shouldn't we get going now? We still need to see our class assignments."

"Nah, we still have to wait for Yukari…"

"What!? Let her get there herself. We shouldn't be late because she decided to take all morning to get ready."

"She hardly knows her way around here. The least we could do is show her the way to school."

"Fine, I'll be in the lounge," she pouted.

A few minutes after Mitsuru had departed, Yukari finally emerged. When I saw her, I my brain completely froze. She wore a pink cardigan over a white shirt with a large, red ribbon around her neck. She wore a black miniskirt (which I thought was way too revealing for school) and long boots.

"YUKI-KUN!" she yelled as she scrambled down the stairs and jumped onto me. "You actually waited for me! Now we can walk to school together, and then maybe the school will start rumors, then maybe you'll finally fall for me…." She trailed off into a random tangent, completely oblivious to my reaction and everything around her.

"What is all this yelling…" Mitsuru said as she walked in on the situation.

I glanced back at Mitsuru. Yukari still had her arms around my neck and was still babbling to herself.

"I-it's n-not what you're thinking," I blurt out fast.

"Wait, what is _she_ doing here?" Yukari had finally returned.

"We were going to be nice and show you the way to our school, but I'm finding it hard to be nice to harlot like yourself," Mitsuru said, gritting her teeth.

"Tch, and here I thought it'd just be me and Yuki," she said, rubbing her cheek against mine.

"Since when did you start calling him Yuki!? He doesn't know you like that!" Mitsuru questioned.

"Can we just leave now!?" I asked loudly.

"NO!" they both shouted.

 _Why me?_

"Not until this leech apologizes," Mitsuru demanded.

"Apologize for what? For loving Yuki? What you're asking is impossible," Yukari replied.

Mitsuru balled her hands into a fist, knuckles turning white, "Stop calling him Yuki! Only I'm allowed to do that!"

"Makoto then," Yukari responded, smugly.

"Absolutely not! Never Happening! Not in this lifetime!"

Yukari scoffs, "First I can't call him Makoto, then you tell me I can't call him Yuki. What am I supposed to call him then?"

"Yuki-kun was fine…" I added.

"Shut up, Makoto! You will refer to him as Yuki-san, if anything. End of discussion. Now get the Hell off of him."

* * *

As we made our way towards the school, the girls walked on either side of me, not making any eye contact at all. Once we boarded the monorail, both girls latched onto my arms, trying to accommodate for the cramped space inside. When the school came into view Yukari's eye widened.

"Wow! It's so beautiful!" she said.

"The best part is coming up," I told her.

"Huh?" she asked.

Just then the train left the rails attached to land, and continued on the tracks that loomed over the water.

"Amazing… It's like we're gliding over the sea…" Yukari said.

Her eyes were full of wonderment and excitement. I looked at Mitsuru, who'd been awfully quiet, to find that she was closing her eyes shut.

"Mitsuru…" I began.

I could hear her muttering quietly, "I hate this part, I hate this part, I hate this part…"

I pulled her in closer, hoping it'd be of some comfort.

* * *

We'd finally arrived at school and, to our surprise, we were still quite early.

"I hope the other two made it here fine," I said to no one in particular.

"Oi! Kirijo-chan!"

Mitsuru turned around and was quickly greeted by a girl who was laughably shorter than her.

"Oh, President Dojikko! I thought we were going to meet in the Student Council Room…" Mitsuru said, baffled.

"I know~~… but I'd just arrived and you'd just arrived, so I thought we could go there together! I think that'd be the best time to discuss your speech!" the Student Council President said.

"Uh, I actually have to check my Class Assignment…"

"It's alright, Mitsuru. We're always in the same class, so I'll tell you after the Opening Ceremony," I assured her.

"You must be Yuki~chan! I've heard a **lot** about you! Why don't you join the Student Council? Then you'll be with your girlfriend even longer!" the President insisted.

"Um, I don't mean any disrespect, but they're definitely not dating!" Yukari intruded, latching onto me vigorously.

"Huh?" Dojikko said, as she put a finger to her lips and tilted her head sideways.

"Ahem, President, she's Yukari Takeba. She recently moved into our dormitory and will be attending this school starting today…" Mitsuru clarified.

"WAH! That's exactly the kind of fire we need in the Student Council! Why don't you both join?" Dojikko exclaimed.

"Aww, Yuki-kun! We should do it! Then we'll be together even more!" Yukari squealed gleefully.

"I love helping out those that are in love~~," Dojikko said with a nod.

"He definitely does not love her!" Mitsuru blurted out.

Yukari gave Mitsuru a cold glare. Dojikko, however, clapped her hands together and smiled widely.

"That's right Kirijo-chan! Fight for the man you love! That's exactly why we chose you to be your classes' Student Council Representative!"

"Uh…uhm," Mitsuru mumbled.

"C'mon let's go! We're wasting time~~," Dojikko said as she dragged Mitsuru with her. "I just ~LOVE~ 'love triangles'!"

I gently removed Yukari from my side and told her, "We should check on our Class Assignments, right?"

Yukari nodded as we made our way towards the main building. The Cherry Blossom leaves were falling from the trees that lined the walkway to the school. Gekkoukan High is the most prestigious school in the area. No other school can compete, since Gekkoukan is better in every way. Not to mention funds are of no problem, since it is owned by the Kirijo Group. Because of that, people like to believe that Mitsuru gets special treatment, but that's not the case. Everything she's done, she's earned it. Besides, if she did get special treatment, why don't I get it as well? I am her brother, albeit not in blood, after all…

* * *

Yukari and I walked side by side as we entered the main building. It was a spectacle, to say the least. Tons of students everywhere, all going about their own business. I saw a large pile up of people, to which I assumed the Class Assignments were posted.

Yukari moved behind me and took a fistful of my coat, so not to get lost. We made our way towards the 1-X list and began searching for our names. It didn't take long to find my name since I was placed in Class 1-A. I scanned the List more.

 _Class 1-A:_

 _Makoto Yuki_

 _Mitsuru Kirijo_

 _Akihiko Sanada_

 _Shinjiro Aragaki_

 _Yukari Takeba_

…and the list continued. But knowing our entire dorm is in one class didn't warrant me to continue.

"Looks like we're all in the same class." I told Yukari.

"You mean our entire dorm is in one class!? Isn't that too much of a coincidence?" Yukari asked.

"… or maybe it's fate," I joked.

"Yeah, sure," Yukari snickered.

Just before we were about to depart, I heard my name being yelled embarrassingly loud.

"YUUUUUKKKKKKIIIIIII!"

"What the…" I started to say.

Before I could finish, someone had leapt onto my back, sending me forward, and smashing my body against the wall. Arms clung around my neck and I was holding this person's legs, as if I was carrying someone.

I saw a finger extend forward, past my head, to point at the 'Class 1-A' list. It moved down until it reached somebody's name.

"Alright! I guess we're in the same class now, Yuki!" said the voice.

I was starting to recognize the voice. I got closer to the person's finger to see where it was pointing.

' _Junpei Iori'_

"Excuse me, Iori-san. But I don't think I know you…" I apologized.

Instead of receiving an explanation, I was smacked on the head by, what I believe to be, a book.

"Not that one, idiot. THAT ONE!" the person said, tapping vigorously on the name below.

' _Fuuka Yama_ gishi'

"Fuuka…? Oh, Fuuka! It's been a while hasn't it?" I said, as I came to a realization.

She climbed off my back and I turned towards her.

She scoffs at me, "How could you forget me!?"

"I'm sorry, this morning has been something else…"

"It's ok," she says, as she playfully punches my shoulder.

Last time I saw Fuuka was two months ago, at Bookworms. I'd made a challenge for her, _I wonder if she remembers?_

"Who's she?" Fuuka asks, pointing to Yukari.

"Yukari Takeba, are you a friend of Yuki-kun?" Yukari asked.

"Friends? More like rivals…" she said as she put on a serious face.

 _So she has remembered…_

Before I could acknowledge our rivalry, I began to hear people's comments

" _Isn't that Fuuka? I thought she was always quiet?"_

" _I don't think I've ever heard her speak…"_

" _Why is she talking to Yuki-san? I'll kill her!"_

" _She has no right to talk to him, he won't even acknowledge me!"_

From the look on her face, I could tell she was greatly affected by their comments. I could see Fuuka revert from an enthusiastic girl, to a reserved introvert.

When she spoke, I could hardly hear her.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," she whispered.

She turned around fast, and bolted off.

"Wait! Fuuka!" I yelled after her, but it was too late.

I stood motionless, in the center of the crowd. They were still muttering their own crap. Though my entire demeanor was aloof, inside of me was a raging cesspool of anger.

"C'mon Yuki-kun, the Opening Ceremony is about to start," Yukari said softly dragging me along by the arm.

* * *

I hadn't paid attention to any of the speeches. Only one had mattered to me, Mitsuru's speech. Yukari sat next to me and to my left was the aisle. I glanced around the auditorium, but saw no sight of Fuuka anywhere. I couldn't find Akihiko or Shinjiro as well. Some poor girl thought I was looking at her, which obviously brightened her mood. She waved at me excitedly, but all I returned was a single wave as I turned back to face the stage.

President Dojikko walked behind the podium and adjusted the microphone to accommodate her size.

"Thank you, uhm- Tanakada for that _great_ (she cringed) speech," Dojikko said.

There was scattered applause, nothing special.

"Next a speech from the freshman's Student Council Representative, Mitsuru Kirijo!" Dojikko exclaimed.

As Mitsuru got up from her seat on stage, the crowd began to murmur loudly.

" _WOW! She's gorgeous!"_

" _What? She's prettier than me? Impossible!"_

" _Kirijo? The one's that own the school?"_

" _Now that's one HOT CHICK!" "Please, Kenzou-sensei! That's highly inappropriate!"_

Mitsuru was always a shining star against the black of space. She looked flustered.

 _Perhaps she wasn't expecting such a response?_

"Um, G-good morning-everyone. M-my name Is Mitsuru Kirijo and I'm proud t-to be t-the freshman Student Council Representative-" After she'd said 'Representative' the microphone screeched really loudly, leaving Mitsuru surprised and shocked, her mouth agape.

It started out as light laughter, but soon laughter consumed the entire auditorium. To my surprise, Yukari wasn't laughing. In fact she looked angry, even embarrassed for Mitsuru. Mitsuru was seriously embarrassed. She looked around confused, looking for a solution. Her eyes scanned around until they met mine.

She stared into my eyes, tears starting to form in her own.

" _Help me…"_ she mouthed.

" _You can do it. I believe in you,"_ I mouthed back.

She sniffled and wiped away whatever tears had formed. She regained her composure and took a deep breath.

"Be quiet," she said.

The laughter hadn't died down as much.

"I SAID, BE QUIET!" Mitsuru had raised her voice.

All laughter had died immediately. There was absolute silence in the auditorium, which is quite impressive especially on the first day.

Mitsuru gave a look over of the entire area before she started, "When somebody makes a mistake, degenerates rip that person to shreds. When someone falls, it's the cowards who keep running. When someone is in need of assistance, it's the selfish man refuses to lend support. When your fellow student stumbles, your response is to mock them, belittle them. When my family starter the Gekkoukan string of schools, it was never our intention to house a bunch of selfish, cowardly, degenerates as to which I've just witnessed. When you put on your uniform, you represent Gekkoukan. When you represent Gekkoukan, you're showing that you are the best of the best. When you acknowledge that you're a student here, you rise above the cowards and the degenerates. That's what it means to be a part of this illustrious school. That is why I'm glad to be here. That is why I'm so happy to be a part of such a legacy. That is why I'm proud to be your Student Council Representative."

The audience was stunned, they were speechless. I slowly began to clap, Yukari joined in and soon the auditorium erupted into a clapping frenzy.

Mitsuru let out a sigh of relief and bowed towards the crowd. When she lifted her head, she gave me a small smile and proceeded to exit the stage.

* * *

I met with Mitsuru backstage to congratulate her on the speech. Instead Mitsuru ran up to me and gave me a huge hug.

"I did it, Makoto. I really did it," she laughed.

"You were great," I told her.

We'd been hugging for, what felt like, forever.

"Ok, that's enough now…" Yukari had spoken up.

Mitsuru pulled off the embrace, "W-what are you doing here?"

"I came here to, y'know, congratulate you… I think you did great…" Yukari admitted.

"Um, thanks?" Mitsuru said confused.

"Don't expect a lot of that!" Yukari clarified.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Mitsuru said with a smirk.

"So it turns out our entire dormitory is in Class 1-A…" I told her.

"That's quite the coincidence…" Mitsuru said.

"Maybe its fate," I added.

"Yeah, right," Mitsuru said sarcastically.

* * *

We'd all reached Class 1-A together to find it mostly filled.

"There she is!" cried one guy.

"Please go out with me, Kirijo-sama!"

A whole crowd of guys had gathered at the door, preventing us from proceeding forward.

"Eww, they're so gross!" Yukari cried.

"Agreed," said Mitsuru.

"Alright, make way," I said as I moved my way through the crowd.

We were finally able to push past them and, luckily we found three open seats. After being indirectly turned down by Mitsuru, the crowd dispersed, which revealed that most of them weren't even in our class.

"Ugh, I hate boys!" Yukari said irritably.

I looked around and there was still no sign of Fuuka, Akihiko, or even Shinjiro.

"At this rate they'll be late…" I groaned.

BANG! Yukari had slid her desk into mine, completely blocking the aisle.

"What are you doing?" questioned Mitsuru.

"Well… I don't think it's fair that you get to sit beside him, so I'm moving my desk so I can sit beside him too," Yukari explained.

"But how are people supposed to get through?" I asked.

"I don't care about that," she admitted.

"Why don't you sit behind him?" Mitsuru suggested.

"But then he won't ever see me…"

"In front of him?"

"But then I'll never see him!"

"If you're in front of me, I get to see you all day," I said hoping to make a resolution.

"Wha-? Makoto?" Mitsuru asked, confused.

"That's perfect!" cried Yukari.

She fixed her original desk, and moved her things to the desk in front of me. We chatted for a short while until the teacher finally showed up.

"Ahem, my name is Tachinomi Tatsuya. Or Tachinomi-sensei to you all. I believe we already have our Class Representative selected, what's her name…. what's her name?"

His eyes scanned the list in hand, in which they widened when he found it.

"WE HAVE MITSURU KIRIJO IN HERE! THIS IS GOINGTO BE A GREAT YEAR!" yelled the teacher.

"Ugh, are all teachers here perverts too?" groaned Yukari.

"P-please, Kirijo-chan… get on with the whole bowing thing you do," suggested the teacher.

"O-ok," Mitsuru said, rising from her seat.

"RISE! BOW! SEATS!"

The teacher was giggling like a school-girl, through the entire exercise.

"Oh, right. I teach Classic Literature, so be prepared to do a lot of reading!"

 _Fuuka's going to love this class… Where is she?_

As I thought that, the door slid open to reveal two guys. Two guys that I, unfortunately, know.

"WE'RE NOT LATE!" one of them yelled as they both scrambled to the two open desks in the back.

"Excuse me! What are your names!?" demanded the teacher.

The white-haired boy slammed his fist into his chest and proclaimed, "I'm Akihiko Sanada and he's Shinji Aragaki." He ended it with a smile.

"You two! Detention after school!" yelled the teacher.

"Ugh," they both groaned as they slumped into their seats.

"Detention on the first day, that's harsh," cam a male voice behind me.

I turned my head to see the owner of the voice. In my sight was a boy who wore a baseball cap, he was in uniform but had a purple shirt instead. He had a decent amount of facial hair on his chin, and from what I could tell he looked very, _very_ laid back.

"I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself! The name's Junpei Iori, pleased to meet you."

"The infamous Junpei Iori, huh?" I said, recalling his name from the list I saw.

"So you've heard of me? Well I am pretty popular, especially with the ladies," he said with a smirk.

"Actually, no. I mistook a girl for you, so…" I told him.

"Aww man, I coulda swore you might've heard of me," he complained. "Was she cute at least?"

"She's in our class, but she's not here now, so you can be the judge of that," I said.

"Haha, sweet!" Junpei exclaimed quietly.

"Anyways I'm Mako-"

"I know who you are… All the girls used to talk about you all the time… Man, you must be pretty popular," Junpei said, then he came to a realization, "So, by default, if I hang out with you I'll be popular too!"

"I don't think it works like that…"

"Sure it does! Imagine! One day I'll be carrying girls on both arms, just like you!"

"Oh yeah, that…" I trailed off.

"How do you do it? You got babes fawning all over you! I heard you rejected a girl's confession to you this morning. They say you sent her off crying…"

"That's not what happened!" I yelled.

I'd realized I'd yelled too loudly, but it was too late. Mitsuru and Yukari looked at me like I was insane.

"Excuse me, what are your names?" asked Tachinomi-sensei.

"Makoto Yuki," I sighed.

"Junpei Iori," he sighed.

"Detention, after school. It looks like you'll be joining Sanada-san and Aragaki-san."

"Alright!" exclaimed Akihiko in the back.

"Shut up, dude," Shinjiro said.

I thought I could feel the disappointment radiating from Mitsuru and Yukari.

After all, this was my first detention….

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So there's a lot going on in this chapter, sorry if it might've gotten confusing. I loved this chapter, it was a blast for me to write. Please PM me if you have any questions regarding the story. I'm always willing to talk, so… yeah. If you have any complaints, you can PM me as well, or you can write a review. Either way is great!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and hopefully I'll see you next time!

 **P.S.:** COVER ART WANTED


	7. Chapter 7: The Voice Someone Calls

**Chapter 7: The Voice Someone Calls**

 **Author's Note:** Hello everyone, this is Chapter 7! It was a fun chapter to write, not my favorite, but it's up there. A lot of you have been asking, so to clarify, everyone in the story is roughly the same age. That includes Makoto, Mitsuru, Yukari, Akihiko, Shinjiro, and Junpei. It's an AU, so what the hell? Plus I fell that the relationships will change, since everyone is on an, so-called, equal playing field. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Lunch**

As soon as the bell rang, signaling lunch recess, Yukari immediately turned her desk to face mine.

"Yuki-kun! How'd you get a detention on the first day!?" she complained.

"Yes… it's very unusual of you to even get one," Mitsuru chimed in. "I don't recall you ever having one."

"That's because I never did get one," I replied.

"So how'd you get one now?" Yukari asked.

"Well I did yell in the middle of class…" I said, shamefully.

"He must've been talking to that delinquent," Mitsuru said as she shot a glare towards Junpei.

It was apparent Junpei had been eavesdropping on our conversation, but he failed to realize that Mitsuru was talking about him.

"I wish I could get punished by Kirijo-sama… Whoever that delinquent is, he sure is lucky!" he muttered under his breath.

"You! What is your name?" Mitsuru questioned Junpei.

He was still in his own world, probably fantasizing about Mitsuru…

SLAM. Mitsuru had slammed her hand into his desk, startling everyone else around her.

"Geez! Hey! What the hell was that for, Makoto?" Junpei said, obviously unaware that it wasn't me.

"Dude…" I said tilting my head towards Mitsuru, who looked absolutely livid.

Junpei looked over at Mitsuru with the blankest expression I've ever seen. Mitsuru was having none of it.

"Your name!" she raised her voice.

Junpei must've thought he was the slickest guy in the room. He took Mitsuru's hand, which had remained on his desk, and brought it up to his lips.

"The names Iori. Junpei Iori," he said.

Before her hand could reach his lips, Mitsuru turned her hand, palm up, balled it into a fist, and gave Junpei a devastating uppercut.

"Disgusting roach!" she exclaimed.

"Seriously, why are all the guys here so gross?" Yukari added.

"Did you see that, Shinji!?" yelled Akihiko from the back of the class.

"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWW, my chin!" Junpei yelled, as he held his chin in pain.

"That was a little too much, don't you think Mitsuru?" I said laughing uncomfortably.

She looked me straight in the eyes and gave me the most innocent smile I've ever seen.

"Not at all, Makoto," she said.

"The least you could do is introduce yourself," I told her.

"You're right. Where are my manners? You!" she yelled at Junpei.

"Wha-" he said, fear in his eyes.

"My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. Since you appear to be a friend of Makoto, I think it's in my best interest to, at least, get along with you. You will refer to me as Kirijo, and if you prefer to use honorifics I will only accept –sama. Understand?"

Junpei nodded his head with a stupid smile on his face and (probably) tears of joy in his eyes.

"And this is Yukari Takeba, she's just as aggressive as Mitsuru," I told Junpei, while gesturing towards Yukari.

"Yeah… I don't mind if you just call me Yukari," she said.

"First day and I'm already friends with the two hottest babes in the class!" Junpei cheered.

"We're not friends, we're friends of a friend," Mitsuru corrected.

"Yeah, I think I already hate you," Yukari said.

"I'll take it!" Junpei said, enthusiastic as ever.

Out of the corner of my eyes I could see Akihiko and Shinjiro approaching.

"Nice uppercut, Mitsuru! You should be my sparring partner!" Akihiko suggested.

Junpei looked up, only to be greeted by the dark presence of Shinjiro.

"What the hell!" Junpei yelled.

"What the-" Shinjiro yelled in response, his eyes actually showing a bit of shock.

"Are you here to kill me!?" Junpei yelled in fear.

"Why would I do such a thing?" Shinjiro answered.

"Haha, that's just Shinji. My name's Akihiko, you can call me just that." Akihiko said.

 _I'm sure everyone in the class knows who you guys are by now._

"Oh yeah! Aren't you the guys who also got detention?" Junpei asked.

"That's right!" Akihiko exclaimed, unusually enthusiastic about detention.

"That's not something to be proud of…" Yukari added.

"Quite shameful…" Mitsuru said under her breath.

"Well I'm Junpei Iori. Junpei is fine. I take it you know Makoto?"

"That's also right! All of us live in the same dorm," Akihiko clarified.

"You ALL live in the same dorm! Talk about awesome!" Junpei said excitedly.

"It's pretty awesome!" replied Akihiko.

"Why do you want Kirijo-sama as a sparring partner, anyway? All she did was uppercut me, I'm sure anyone could've done that…" Junpei said, embarrassed of being hit by a girl.

"Oh yeah! Well look at this!" Akihiko said as he grabbed my head and showed my left cheek to Junpei.

Junpei got closer and examined real closely.

"Hmm, that's a strange birthmark you got there Makoto…" Junpei said. "It almost looks like a… hand!"

He glanced over at Mitsuru.

"That's right! Makoto over here got into a little argument with Mitsuru last night. And as you can see, he lost," joked Akihiko.

"Alright, knock it off," I said as I eased Akihiko's hands off my head.

"That's why I want her to spar with me!" Akihiko said. "I'm sure with that much power, anyone would've been knocked out!"

Mitsuru was smiling to herself. She glanced up to see me staring at her, and she mouthed, "I'm sorry."

"So how about it, Mitsuru!?" Akihiko asked.

Shinjiro smiled slightly at the enthusiasm Akihiko was displaying. Just then the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"Alright, we'll see you guys' after-school in detention!" Akihiko yelled.

I sighed visibly, which Yukari caught.

"What's wrong Yuki-kun?"

"Nothing, it's just…" I looked around the room. "It's just Fuuka hasn't shown up yet."

"Fuuka?" Mitsuru asked. "Is that a friend of yours?"

"That's right, you haven't met her yet. She's supposed to be in this class. I saw her this morning, but she ran off," I told her.

"I think you hang around too much delinquents nowadays. No wonder you got detention on the first day." Mitsuru joked.

I laughed," Fuuka's no delinquent, far from it."

"I see. Perhaps she'll turn up tomorrow."

"I hope so, she seemed really nice," Yukari said, almost out of the blue.

With that, Tachinomi-sensei walked in to begin class.

* * *

 **After-School**

"Good luck!" Mitsuru and Yukari yelled to me as they both exited the classroom.

The class room was nearly empty, comprise of only me, Junpei, Akihiko, Shinjiro, and Tachinomi-sensei.

"Those two are acting awfully chummy, huh?" said Akihiko as he leaned onto my desk.

"Sanada-san! Who told you to leave your desk?" Tachinomi-sensei yelled.

"My bad, teach! It's just so boring here! What are we supposed to do?"

Tachinomi-sensei pondered for a moment. "Well it's the first day of school so there's nothing much that you can do… "

"Then why would you make us stay for detention!" complained Junpei.

"Because you four are the most disruptive students in class! Though I'm surprised. Yuki-san, you've yet to have one detention in your entire time as a student. I'm almost disappointed, considering what a model student you are."

I kept a blank expression on my face, but deep down I could literally feel the shame. I sensed Junpei lean in closer from behind me.

"Dude, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault you got your first detention," he whispered.

"It's okay, I don't really mind."

After that we mostly sat in silence, that is until Tachinomi-sensei spoke up.

"Bingo!" he exclaimed. "You guys can clean the Faculty Office!"

"But aren't there still teachers there?" Junpei asked.

"They won't mind, as long as you're quiet and cleaning," he explained.

"Alright, ACTION!" Akihiko yelled from the back of the room.

"Not really, but at least it's something," Shinjiro agreed.

"After-School Detention Squad, ASSEMBLE!" Akihiko exclaimed.

"Such a shameful name," I told Junpei.

"I don't care! It sounds super cool," he said as she rushed out of the classroom with Akihiko.

I walked next to Shinjiro and began speaking. "It seems we're the only normal ones, in this shamefully named group…"

"What are you talking about?" he gave me a stone-cold glare. "I came up with the name!"

"I-in that case, i-it's a-a wonderful name!" I said, as I quickened my pace to catch up with Junpei and Akihiko.

* * *

 **Faculty Office**

Unexpectedly, the Faculty Office was nearly empty, save for the lone janitor working in there.

"What are you four doing here?" the janitor questioned.

"We were told to clean up here, as 'punishment' for our detention," Akihiko explained.

"Detention? On the first day! You really are a shameful group." the janitor said. "Just go home, I'll clean up here."

"Right! If anyone asks, tell them the After-School Detention Squad came here," Akihiko said.

The janitor stifled into a laugh, "Is that what you call yourselves? How ridiculous!"

"You got a problem with our name?" Shinjiro asked as he walked over to the janitor and towered over him.

"N-no! A-After-School Det-Detention S-Squad… Got it!" he said with fear in his voice.

"Good. Alright guys, let's leave," Shinjiro said.

* * *

We exited the Faculty Office before Junpei broke into excitement.

"What is it, Junpei?" I asked.

"Guess what I found?" he asked.

"Your dignity?" I answered.

Junpei gave me look.

"A new pair of boxing gloves!" Akihiko answered.

 _Though I'm not sure if he's joking or not…_

"Wrong!"

"Just tell us," Shinjiro said in an ominous voice.

"R-Right. Anyways, I found the key to the school!" Junpei said excitedly.

"And you stole it!?" I yelled, bewildered.

"Found! Not stole," Junpei corrected.

"You should return it!" I told him.

"Why should I? They have thousands of these. Besides, it may be useful in the future," Junpei explained.

"Oh really? How?" I asked.

"Well for starters, what if I forget my stuff over the weekend? With this, I can get my stuff anytime. Plus, I'm pretty sure it can unlock the roof's door."

"The roof?" I say.

"Yeah, I heard that you need a key to get back in once you've accessed it."

I started to think about the places where Fuuka might've been, and the roof was the only logical place.

"Hey, you guys go on home. I got to do something before I leave," I said.

"Huh?" asked Junpei, surprised that I just dropped our conversation.

"Sure, we'll see you at the dorm," Akihiko said. "C'mon Shinji!"

* * *

I split from the other three as they exited the building. I climbed the stairs leading to the second story and proceeded to climb the stairs leading to the roof. I could see the sky from the windows. The sun was setting and the sky was painted a beautiful orange. Shades of blue and pink were also visible in the orange backdrop. As I walked up to the doors to the roof, I could see a familiar figure laying on one of the benches outside.

It was Fuuka.

I opened the door a walked out.

Fuuka shot up immediately and quickly examined what was going on.

"Y-Yuki?" she asked.

"W-wait Yuki, the—" she was cut off by a slam. "—Door…"

I turned around and saw that the door was closed. I tried opening it, with no luck.

"Ugh! You idiot! Don't you know these doors are locked from the outside?"

"Actually, I was just told that… It must've slipped my mind," I said with an innocent smile on my face.

"You're hopeless," she said as she sat back down on the bench. "I've been trapped here alllll day!"

I sat next to her on the bench.

"So this is why you weren't in class. You missed a pretty eventful class, especially for a first day," I told her.

"How's the teacher?" she asked.

"He has a pretty short fuse. I also think he has a thing for Mitsuru…"

"Mitsuru?" Fuuka asks.

"That's right you don't know her. She's the freshman Student Council Representative. Not only that, she's our class representative."

"She must be so cool," Fuuka said with a smile and a sense of wonderment in her eyes.

"Yeah, you two would like each other."

We sat in silence, hoping somebody would rescue us.

"Why didn't you use your phone?" I asked her.

"Well, because…" instead of explaining, she took out her phone and showed me her contacts.

 _Mom, Dad … NO ONE ELSE!_

"I-I see. Well for future reference, maybe I could give you my number?"

Fuuka's face grew red as she said," W-why would I-I w-want your num-number?"

"In case you get trapped on the roof again," I said as I took her phone and entered my phone number.

"W-well in that case why don't you use your phone to call for help," Fuuka suggested.

 _That's right, I forgot all about it._

I reached into my bag and searched around for my phone. Once I was sure I had it I lifted it out. However, instead of a blue cellphone, was my Evoker.

"How the hell did I bring this!?" I exclaimed.

"A-a gun!" Fuuka screamed.

I looked over at a panicked Fuuka and tried to calm the situation.

"N-no it's not a gun! It's a toy, you see! It doesn't even have a magazine," I laugh nervously.

She squinted her eyes at it, "I see now. It's definitely not a gun. But certainly isn't a toy. And what is S.E.E.S, anyway?"

I sighed in relief, "I'll explain it to you later, and it's far too complicated. I can't believe I grabbed this instead of my cellphone."

* * *

" _The Missing Lover_?" Fuuka asked.

"She was actually the leading detective on the case." I replied.

" _Absent Children_?"

"They were all being held captive by the Principal."

" _Silence in the Thorns_?" she asked.

"The nobles destroy the peasant uprising, leading to a millennium of hardships."

"Ugh! I spent all this time reading through a ton of obscure books, and you've already read through them!?" she complained.

"Like I said, I've read a lot," I told her.

It seems Fuuka has remembered our bet, and spent a long time to prepare. If she can spoil one book I haven't read, I'll do anything she wants, no matter what. Yet she hasn't gotten me once yet.

Night has fallen and the stars were very visible.

 _It's nearly a Full Moon_ , I thought.

"What time is it?" I ask.

She checks her phone, the light blinding both of our eyes.

"Oh man, a minute before Midnight…" Fuuka says.

My heart stops. A minute until the Dark Hour… If the school transforms into Tartarus at night, what happens if somebody is still in it. Not only that, but Fuuka is still here.

Before I had a chance to respond, I'd blacked out.

* * *

 _Yuki…_

 _Yuki…_

A voice is calling for me.

 _YUKI, you jerk! WAKE UP!_

I can fell multiple jabs in my back. I open my eyes and find Fuuka jabbing my back. I get up and look around.

We were in Tartarus.

"Finally," Fuuka says with a sniffle. "Where are we?"

"We're in Tartarus, a large tower that our school transforms into during the Dark Hour….Wait, why are you still conscious!?" I ask, surprised.

"Are you lookin' for a fight?" she answers.

"No, it's just… normal people can't really function here. Only those with the 'potential'…"

I look at Fuuka. _Can she really possess the' potential'?_

"Whatever, we'll figure it out when we get out of here," I say to myself.

"Luckily I brought my Evoker, so we should be safe if any shadows try to harm us." I tell her, as I whip out my Evoker.

"But it isn't even a real gun! I can't imagine how it'll be of any help!" she cries.

"I guess now's a good time to explain everything now. This," I say as I gesture towards the Evoker," is an Evoker. It's used to summon Persona's, something only those with the 'potential' can use during this time. The Dark Hour…"

"Dark Hour?" she asks.

"The Dark Hour is a hidden hour during the day. Normal people are unaware of it because they transmogrify into caskets, which protects them from the Shadows that lurk around. Shadows are highly dangerous, but they hardly ever leave Tartarus. In fact, I can't recall the last time they did. Anyways, I wonder if you have the 'potential'. It's apparent you've never been conscious during the Dark Hour, so I wonder what'll happen now." I tell her.

"How are we going to get out?" Fuuka

"We just have to wait until we get rescued…" I tell her.

"Rescued? By who? The Police?"

"Mitsuru… she'll save me. I know she will."

"Mitsuru… Does she have the potential?" Fuuka asks.

"Mmhmm, she's insanely strong, too. But not as good as me," I say with a smile.

"How long will it take to rescue us?" Fuuka asks.

"I don't know, Fuuka. But I will protect you; I won't allow you to get hurt."

Fuuka blushes from my words.

 _I'll be waiting, Mitsuru. I'll be waiting to see your smiling face again…_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And that's Chapter 7. I hoped you enjoyed it. There wasn't a lot of Makoto x Mitsuru, but there may be more next chapter. See you next time!

 **P.S.:** Cover art blah blah blah


	8. Chapter 8: Troubled

**Chapter 8: Troubled**

 **Author's Note:** Hey everyone! I'm back! Did you miss me? Of course you did! Just kidding! Anyways I apologize for the delay; I really really really want to apologize for not updating. My life's been a wreck since the last time, but it's pretty stable now. To be honest, I don't really feel the beginning part was my best writing but later in the chapter I feel I've recaptured my style. I appreciate everything you guys have done for me, and I'd like to thank each and every one of my fans out there. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **8:00 PM; 4 hours before the Dark Hour**

Mitsuru paced back and forth in the lounge of the dorm.

"Geez, these idiots. They should've been home an hour ago…" Mitsuru sighed, worry apparent in her voice.

Yukari, who was reading a magazine on one of the couches, could see that Mitsuru was genuinely worried about the guys… _but most likely just_ _Yuki, she thought._

"You know they probably just stopped by Paulowana Mall or Hagakure. Or maybe they got lost, knowing Akihiko," Yukari joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Oblivious to the joke, Mitsuru was suddenly very angry with Akihiko.

"I swear if that Protein Junkie got Makoto lost, I'll execute him on the spot," she vowed, balling her hand into a fist.

Mitsuru thought about it for a few more moments before coming to the realization that Makoto was with them. He wouldn't let them get lost. That thought had calmed Mitsuru down a bit, but she was still concerned.

Moments later, the door swung open.

"We're home!" proclaimed Akihiko.

Both Mitsuru and Yukari had made their way towards the front door to greet the late arrivals.

"Where on Earth have you been!?" Mitsuru demanded.

"Hehe, well you see…" Akihiko started.

"He got us lost again," Shinjiro clarified.

"Damn Shinji. I thought we talked about this?" Akihiko said, feeling betrayed.

As Mitsuru began to lecture Akihiko about the importance of using a map, Yukari had noticed Yuki wasn't with the other two.

"Hey, where's Yuki-kun?" she'd asked.

This sudden realization stopped Mitsuru midsentence, as she looked all around for any sign of Makoto.

"What do you mean? I thought he got here before us," Akihiko questioned.

"We thought he was with you guys. Did you separate somewhere?" Yukari asked.

"Well, we did leave separately. He said he had to take care of something, or something like that," Shinjiro clarified.

"What? Where did he run off to? Do you know?" Mitsuru rattled off.

Mitsuru was even more worried than before. Not knowing where he was looked as if it had physically hurt her. Only Yukari noticed this, as the guys were deep in thought.

"He didn't really tell _**us,**_ per se…" Akihiko said.

"Try asking the other idiot who was with us," Shinjiro suggested.

"The other idiot…?" Mitsuru asked to herself.

"You mean Iori? Does he know where he is?" Yukari asked.

"Most likely. He talked to him before running off and doing his own thing," Shinjiro added.

Mitsuru looked up, determination in her eyes, "We must question Iori as soon as possible."

"Hold up. Yuki-kun might just be running a little late. Let's give him the rest of the night and if he doesn't show up, and then we interrogate Iori," Yukari suggested.

"I can't rest not knowing where he is. What if he's out during the Dark Hour? I can't just leave him out there alone. He doesn't even have his Evoker on him," Mitsuru cried.

"We just have to trust that he'll make it back before then. Besides Yuki is pretty strong so he should be able to handle himself," Yukari assured.

"Besides we have no idea where Iori lives… though I don't think that'd be a problem for a Kirijo. Still, we should assume that Yuki will be back soon," Akihiko said.

Mitsuru could sense that they were trying to cheer her up.

"Very well," Mitsuru sighed dejectedly. "I'll trust your words, but if he's not back home by the morning, there'll be hell to pay.

He never showed up…

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

 **Yukari's Perspective**

Mitsuru looked awfully depressed.

 _She's not in her usual Queen Bitch mode this morning_ , I thought as Mitsuru made her way to the kitchen. I followed her in and she was in complete shambles. Dark bags had formed under her eyes, probably from lack of sleep. Speaking of eyes, hers were as red as her hair. Paths where tears had fallen were highly visible on her face. Her hair was a mess, to say the least. Even her uniform had been sloppily thrown on.

"Uh, mornin'," I said, attempting to start a conversation.

"Huh?" Mitsuru had chirped, having been caught off guard.

"Oh it's _**you**_ …" she'd said with such venom. "Listen, I really don't want to hear your voice this morning; so if you're going to criticize my appearance I suggest you get it over with now."

 _Why do you always assume I have something negative to say…?_

"Well for starters you look absolutely horrible," I laughed aloud.

"Tch, I assumed you had nothing intelligent to say. After all, it was you who suggested we not look for Makoto," Mitsuru fired back.

She's right. I had suggested we leave it alone for now, _though Akihiko could share the blame._ I'll admit, I did feel a tad bit guilty. But there was no way I was going to let her get away so easily.

"So just because he didn't show up, you fail to dress like a proper human being. It's the second day of school and already you're looking trashy. I swear my mother looks better than you. Seriously, stop feeling sorry for yourself," I said, fully aware of how rude I was being.

"Why you little…," Mitsuru said, as she began to grate her perfect teeth.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Yuki ran off with some other girl. Especially to get away from you," I laughed and laughed, unaware of how hurt Mitsuru was.

"You think so?" she said, barely audible.

My laughing had died down when I noticed Mitsuru on her knees, crying into her hands.

 _Ugh, this is why I have no friends. Isn't it?_

"H-hey, I was just kidding. Yuki-kun wouldn't run off with some random girl," I said reassuringly to her.

She began to look up, our eyes meeting. _She looks so pathetic…_

"I mean, why a random girl when he obviously has me," I said, in a lighthearted tone.

Mitsuru's sobs had subsided into coughs and a small snicker.

"You wish… bitch," she managed to get out.

"So then stand up! Go back to your room and make yourself look presentable. After all, I'm sure Yuki would be disgusted to see you looking like this," I told her.

She coughed," Trust me he's seen me in worse conditions."

"Ew, really?" I couldn't even imagine. "Then dress the way our Representative should be dressing."

Mitsuru had stood up, pride in her eyes. "You're right. Thank you, Takeba."

She'd made herself out of the kitchen and headed upstairs.

 _Way to go, Takeba… You might actually have a few friends this time._

* * *

 **Later that Morning**

"Crap, crap, crap. We're going to be late!" I exclaimed as I rushed into Gekkoukan High.

Mitsuru was following close behind, looking better than her normal self. It was because of her that the two were running late.

"My apologies, Takeba. The price of beauty, huh?" Mitsuru apologized.

"Beauty? Is that what you call it?" I quipped back.

As we were speaking the bell had rung to begin morning classes. Soon after we'd arrived at the door of our classroom 1-A. We were both panting beforehand, but quickly regained our composure. Mitsuru reached for the door and slid it open. I could see the disappointment on her face when she saw that Yuki was nowhere in sight.

"Ahem, Miss Takeba. Any reason as to why you are late?" Tachinomi-sensei had questioned.

"I apologize sir. It's my fault, really," Mitsuru had said.

"Wha-? You're fine Miss Kirijo, take a seat." Tachinomi said with a smile. "As for you Takeba, detention."

"For what!?" I exclaimed.

"For making Mitsuru feel bad," he replied.

My mouth went agape, as I had tried to process what just happened. _And since when were they on a first name basis?_

"Sir, if she is to receive detention I feel as if I deserve it as well," Mitsuru said.

I was finding it hard to process **all** of this information.

"Nonononono, I couldn't do that to you Mi-chan," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

 _Gross._

"But it'd hardly be fair…" Mitsuru got cut off.

"Fine. See me after class," Tachinomi seceded.

As I proceeded to take my seat, a voice called out from the back. Of course it was Akihiko.

"Late on the second day and a detention. _Tsk, tsk, tsk._ For shame, Takeba. For shame…"

"Mr. Sanada, Mr. Aragaki. Detention." Tachinomi responded.

"But I didn't even…" Shinjiro began.

"Are you arguing with your elder, Aragaki?"

"No sir…" Shinjiro said, as he slumped into his seat. "Thanks jackass."

Akihiko merely smiled at him, "No problem, Shinji."

* * *

 **Lunch Break**

Soon after lunch had begun, Mitsuru and I turned to Junpei who was completely unfocused.

"Hey, Iori!" Mitsuru had yelled.

This was enough to snap Junpei out of his daze. "Wha-? You actually remember me?"

"Unfortunately," we both replied.

"That hurts y'know."

"Never mind that. Where did Yuki go yesterday?" Mitsuru asked.

"Oh, Makoto? Didn't he go home?" Junpei questioned.

"No he never showed up. Dumb and Dumber over there told us to ask you," I said.

"He just said he had something to take care of. I don't know anything else," Junpei admitted.

"Hmm, was there anything relevant that you did before he ran off?" Mitsuru questioned further.

"Well I did steal the school keys… I mean, nothing important," he laughed awkwardly.

"You did WHAT?" Mitsuru demanded.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was sitting right there, so I had to take it," he pleaded.

"Never mind that, where is the key?" I asked.

"It's right here."

Junpei pulled out the key and dangled it triumphantly in front of us. Mitsuru was quick to snatch them up.

"H-hey! Give them back," Junpei cried.

"Absolutely not," Mitsuru said sternly.

"Why would you take them?" I asked.

"Well for starters, I can get into the school anytime I want. Y'know, in case I forget something," he told us.

"And…" Mitsuru urged him to continue.

"Well it can also unlock the roof. It's locked from the inside so you'd pretty much be trapped if you didn't have one of these," he said pointing to the keys.

"Is there a chance he might've gotten trapped on the roof?" I asked.

"It's possible, but what reason does he have for going there?" Mitsuru questioned.

"Well my plan was to bring babes up there and…" Junpei trailed off as he saw Mitsuru's glare. "Uh, never mind."

"Detention, after school, for stealing these keys" Mitsuru said coldly.

"B-but you're just a student, you can't do that!" he complained.

"Do you really want to argue with me?" Mitsuru was looking really scary.

"Detention. After school. Got it," he replied with a heavy gulp.

Mitsuru turned her focus to me and in a hushed voice said," We have to get to the roof right away."

"Yeah, let's go…"

The bell suddenly rang signaling the end of the break.

"Or maybe not," I said.

* * *

 **After School**

"Alright students, detention is in session. Let's see: Takeba, Sanada, Aragaki, and Iori? What the hell are you doing here?" Tachinomi questioned.

"Uh, well… you see…" he began.

"I gave him a detention," Mitsuru responded, to which Tachinomi was surprised to hear.

"Yes yes, of course Mi-chan," Tachinomi said. I swear I saw Mitsuru cringe. "Um, may I ask why?"

"I caught him peeping into the girl's bathroom," Mitsuru answered.

At first Junpei looked relieved that Mitsuru had covered up his true crime, but rocketed out of his seat in disbelief.

"What? I'd never… well not never, but I didn't even…" he began to stammer.

"Yo, Junpei! Really, man?" Akihiko expressed his disappointment.

"Y'know that should result in expulsion…" Tachinomi said as he set his eyes on Junpei.

"I think he deserves another chance, it's too early in the year for an expulsion. Besides I'll just execute him sometime in the near future," Mitsuru said.

"Right… anyways, I'm going to have a word with Mi-chan. Don't you delinquents dare say a word," Tachinomi warned.

I couldn't exactly here what they conversed about, but I think I heard him say that she is in charge of our merry band of "delinquents". They both walked in as Tachinomi-sensei began speaking.

"Alright, today Mi-chan is going to be in charge of this session. I have… 'Business' to take care of, so I'll be leaving. Good luck, Mi-chan," he ended with a sappy smile.

Before Mitsuru could even begin Akihiko began to spout nonsense.

"Alright! The After-School Detention Squad proudly inducts two new members: Mitsuru and Yukari!" He said with a fist in the air.

"What?" Mitsuru and I said, almost completely in sync.

"It's kinda what we call ourselves, y'know?" Akihiko said, full of pride.

 _I don't think you should be so proud being in detention, I thought._

"Whatever, let's just get to the roof," Mitsuru said.

"And the After-School Detention Squad is off to the roof! C'mon Shinji" exclaimed Akihiko.

"Yeah, yeah I'm comin'," the replied

And with that, the five of us proceeded to the roof.

* * *

Once we reached the roof, disappointment flooded Mitsuru. There was no trace of Yuki at all.

Mitsuru slumped onto one of the benches, tears forming in her eyes. The air felt quite heavy, since none of us had any idea of what to do. Junpei was probably the most confused though.

"You know, it's kind of chilly up here. I'm just going to go inside…" Akihiko said as he reached for the door handle, only to find that it was locked.

Shinjiro began to panic," Shit, shit, shit. What if we're trapped here forever!?"

He started to hyperventilate, until a jingle of a key diverted everyone's attention to Mitsuru.

"Here's the key. Could you all just leave me be for a moment?" Mitsuru asked.

"Thank God!" Shinjiro exclaimed as he snatched the key from her hand and furiously began trying to open the door.

"You're tellin' me pal. I'd hate to be here during the Dark hour…" Akihiko said.

Suddenly, Mitsuru looked up at Akihiko. "Wait. Repeat what you just said?"

"You're tellin' me pal?" Akihiko said in a quizzical tone.

"No, you dunce. The last part," I scolded.

"I'd hate to be here during the Dark Hour?" he repeated.

Junpei was even more confused than before.

"What… what if Makoto got trapped up here on the roof, then when the Dark Hour came around he was transported to Tartarus?" Mitsuru said excitement in her voice.

"It's possible. It might be worth the try," I said.

"Alright! So let's just camp out up here until the Dark Hour rolls around!" Akihiko exclaimed.

"No you idiot. We don't have our weapons, let alone our Evokers…" Shinjiro clarified.

"What do you mean?" Akihiko said as he whipped out his Evoker. "Don't you carry yours with you?"

"OK! What the hell is going on? What's the Dark Hour? What's Tartarus? What's an Evoker? AND WHY DOES SANADA-SAN CARRY A GUN!?" Junpei yelled, bewildered.

"There's no time to explain…" Mitsuru started.

"Of course there's time!" Junpei interrupted.

"Let's get our gear and meet back up here. That's an order!" Mitsuru continued.

"I'm feeling kind of dizzy go on without me, I'll just take a quick breather," Junpei said, walking over to one of the fenced off ledges.

No one really paid any mind to him as we all flooded out of the door. Since I was the last one out, aa realization came over me. Junpei has no key to get back in.

 _Whatever, he'll survive, I thought_ as I shut the door.

I could hear muffled pleas of help, from the other side.

"We'll be back for you tonight," I promised as I caught up with the others.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in Tartarus**

 **Makoto's Perspective**

"C'mon Orpheus, we gotta hold out," I said as I looked up to the Persona.

He looked as tired as I was, after all we've been holding Shadows off non-stop for nearly an hour.

 _As long as Fuuka's safe, I don't care what happens to me…_

"Yuki, please don't exhaust yourself," she cried.

"It's alright. I'm strong… Mitsuru said so…" I managed to get out.

Suddenly I found myself falling backwards and I was suddenly lying on the floor.

I could feel myself fade in and out of consciousness. I turned to my side and reached for my Evoker, but lacked the strength to reach it.

 _Mitsuru… Mitsuru… Mits…Mi….._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So that's that. I had a good time writing this chapter and I hope you had a good time reading it. I'd appreciate it if you'd review; each one means a whole lot to me. Feel free to PM me with any question, as long as it's not _**too**_ strange I'd be more than happy to reply. Thank you all, and I'll see you next chapter.

 **P.S:** If you're looking for a great Persona 4 FanFiction I would 100% recommend _**Façade**_ by KlonoaDreams. It's seriously one of the best Fanfics I've read and makes me wish there was a Female Protagonist for Persona 4.


	9. Chapter 9: Fate is in Our Hands

**Chapter 9: Fate is in Our Hands**

 **Author's Notes:** Hello and welcome to Chapter 9 of P3: Our Time Together. It's been a while (over a year, to be exact) since I've updated this story. But who cares? Regardless, I'm back and better than ever (kind of). Anyways, I hope you enjoy. This chapter starts from no particular POV.

* * *

 **11:30 PM; 30 Minutes before the Dark Hour**

Having gathered all their gear, the group made their way back to the roof of Gekkoukan High. The trip back to the dorm was as uneventful as the return trip, as they all remained in their own thoughts. As they headed up they headed back up the stairs that leads to the roof a question stuck out in Mitsuru's mind.

"Where's Iori?" she asked aloud.

Yukari made a slight laugh and admitted, "I kinda left him on the roof, y'know… 'cause he kinda deserved it."

Though it wasn't completely out of her own morals, Mitsuru still scolded the brunette, though admittedly she was "lighter" on the punishment. With that out of the way, Mitsuru led the group through the door of the roof, largely unsurprised with what they saw.

They saw Junpei laid out on one of the benches, with his sleeve covering his eyes. If one listened closely and could mute out the strong wind that was blowing that night, you might detect the despondent snivels coming from the student.

"Iori! Quit your crying and get up!" yelled Mitsuru.

At the sound of her voice, Junpei jumped up immediately and defiantly protested that he was _not_ crying.

"Yeah yeah, listen Junpei… I'm sorry I left you on the roof," Yukari apologized, though halfheartedly.

After closing the distance between him and the rest of the group, with only a few sniffles he finally responded, "Ya' mean it?"

"Sure… whatever you say," she answered, not wanting to dwell on the situation more than needed.

"Alright!" Junpei exclaimed, shocking the group with his quick reversal in emotion. "So what happens now?"

"We wait for midnight, and hope everything goes fine," Mitsuru explained calmly.

"Wha-!? Midnight! But, I… we got class in the morning! I'm barely managing to stay awake in class as it is! Besides, I needs* my beauty rest," he finished, with a wink directed at Yukari, who could only manage to gag in disgust.

"Mitsuru, isn't it dangerous to bring him along? Because, you know: Tartarus and the Dark Hour?" inquired Akihiko.

"Yeah! Besides what the Hell is tartar sauce and the Dark Hour!?" Junpei added.

"Tartarus, idiot," Yukari corrected.

"Pft, whatever. None of this makes a lick of sense to me!" he replied.

Mitsuru looked at her watch and concluded, "There's no time to explain, we're a minute away from the Dark Hour. If you happen to survive, we'll explain everything. That is, if you're still conscious."

 _Wow… she does not care for anyone's safety… unless it's Yuki-kun,_ thought Yukari.

"Why can't you just let me lea—" Junpei had tried to say.

The Dark Hour had just begun, and the group was scattered throughout the maze of a tower.

* * *

 **Makoto's POV**

I could feel myself being dragged across the floor, as I faded in and out of consciousness. Though I was moving at a decent pace, I could hear exhausted feminine grunts coming from behind me.

"Geez, Yuki… why are you so heavy?" she asked aloud, unaware that I was regaining my ability to think coherently.

"Maybe, I'm not that heavy… maybe you're just weak," I quipped with a chuckle.

Fuuka immediately dropped me on my back as she let out a shriek, "Damn it, Yuki! Don't scare me like that!"

I feigned extreme pain in my back, an attempt to garner sympathy from the teal-haired girl.

"Hmph, you deserved that anyway," she responded, crossing her arms and looking in the opposite direction.

 _My attempt had failed,_ I thought humorously to myself.

"Huh? Maybe I did... especially after single-handedly fending away those monster."

As I said that, I decided to take in my surroundings. We were at the end of a hallway, though I was completely unaware of what floor we were on.

 _That's Tartarus for ya._

Continuing my analysis, I noticed a teleporter lying dormant at the end of the hallway. My eyes widened at the potential escape route.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean… that," she trailed off, taking note of where my eyes had wandered.

"What is that?" she decided to ask.

"That, my dear Fuuka, is a teleporter. Also known as our way out of this hellhole," I answered.

I attempted to stand up, in hopes of activating the teleporter… except I couldn't feel my legs.

"What the…?" I asked to no one in particular.

"You must be beyond exhausted, if your legs can't even move," Fuuka explained. "Let me try to activate it."

Unfortunately for both of us, Fuuka had no clue how to activate it.

* * *

 **Tartarus: Floor ?**

 **Yukari's POV**

 _Ugh, my head,_ I thought as I awoke from my temporary slumber.

Looking around I could make out three other figures. There was Sanada-san, Aragaki-san, and… _ugh, why's Stupei with us? Hey… Stupei is kinda funny,_ I thought as I giggled at my internal joke.

Speaking of which, he began to wake up as well.

"WHAT THE HELL!" he exclaimed louder than necessary.

"Damn, man… keep it down," a groggy Shinjiro whispered loudly, as he grabbed his head.

"Yeah, dude: it's too early in the morning for that," Akihiko agreed.

"Why should I!? How can you all be so calm!? We were on the roof a second ago and now we're… we're… I don't even know where the hell we are!" Junpei shot off.

"Calm down, Stupei. This is Tartarus, y'know, the thing we were talking about earlier," I explained. "And seeing that you're more than able to comprehend the situation, I'd go out on a limb and say you have the 'potential'."

"Yeah, man! If she's right, you might be able to join our Shadow-busting group!" Akihiko added excitedly.

"Shadow-busting… group? As cool at that sounds, I just want to get the hell out of here!" Junpei admitted.

"Stupei is right, we need to find an exit and fast. We also look for Kirijo, seeing as how she's not with us," Shinjiro said, laying out our current plans. "It'd be wise to avoid Shadows as much as possible, seeing that we don't have our two strongest members with us right now."

"Shinji's right, we oughta move out of here as fast as we can. We don't want to endanger Stupei, since he's totally unarmed," Akhiko added.

"Right. Ok guys, let's move! You too, Stupei," I ordered.

We began to move forward, unknown of what awaits us. Everyone but Junpei.

"C'mon guys! Stop calling me that! Hey… don't leave me behind!" he yelled as tried to catch up with us.

* * *

 **Tartarus: Floor ?**

 **Mitsuru's POV**

 _I have no idea where I am,_ I admitted to myself.

The walls of Tartarus gave no clear indication as to what floor I'm on, or what level. What I did know, was that I was completely alone.

 _No Sanada, Aragaki, or Iori. Hell I'd settle for Takeba at this point, I thought._

Letting out a huge sigh, I began to explore this floor of Tartarus. From what Penthesilea could deduce, there were absolutely no shadows on this floor.

 _Strange,_ I thought to myself.

However, upon closer inspection, I began to notice a lot of charred marks littered on the floor, walls, and ceiling. There was also plenty of muck around; leading me to believe someone had defeated plenty of Shadows on this floor.

 _The burns and the immense destruction left… there's only one explanation: Makoto!_

Just the thought of finding him strengthened my resolve, as I hastily explored every part of the floor as I could.

 _This floor is bigger than I thought,_ I admitted.

I was becoming exhausted and my time spent in Tartarus was taking its toll on me. I summoned Penthesilea once more to scan the floor once again. This time, she picked up three figures that she hadn't picked up before. Two of them appeared not to be Shadows, instead their signatures resembled more of a human. However, the third being was most definitely a Shadow and this one sent shivers down my spine. There was only one word I could use to describe this presence: _Death._

I gulped heavily, as my hands began to shake. It was imperative that I find those two humans and get the Hell out of here. The thought that one of them could be Makoto, further solidified my purpose for finding them. With that in mind, I headed to the far side of the floor; which, until now, had been left unexplored.

* * *

When I finally reached the other side of the floor, Penthesilea notified me that I was not only close to the two humans, but a teleporter as well. She also mentioned that the Shadow was at a comfortable distance away.

I breathed a sigh of relief and continued my trek towards the teleporter. However, as I drew near I begun to hear two voices.

"No Fuuka, you just…"

"It's fine, I know what I'm doing," the voice of Fuuka assured, though without much confidence.

It was undeniable; the other voice had belonged to my Mako-chan. He sounded just fine, if not a bit tired.

"If you know what you were doing, we'd be out of here by now. Just drag me over there, and I'll activate it," Makoto suggested.

"Nonono, I don't want you to get hurt any more than you already are. Besides, I'm a smart girl."

 _Makoto is hurt?_ My heart broke at the thought that he was hurt even more. _How long have you been fighting Mako-chan?_

"Whatever you say, Fuuka…" he groaned.

I couldn't stand not seeing him anymore.

"MAKOTO!" I yelled as I rounded the corner, tears in my eye.

The first thing I noticed was Makoto. He was lying on the ground, uniform nearly completely ruined. There was a lot of ash on his face accompanied by a small amount of blood. His uniform, had tons of tears in it, _obviously I'll have to stich it back up for him._ Next to him, was his Evoker. A wave of relief shot over me, knowing he had the ability to defend himself, followed by a sense of anger, knowing he had brought it to school that day. However, I was more relieved that he was fine.

Then I noticed a small, teal-haired girl trying to work the teleporter. She wore the Gekkoukan High uniform, making it clear to me that she was the Fuuka that Makoto had mentioned.

 _She's kinda cute, I guess…_

With that a wave of jealousy and other incoherent thoughts started up.

 _What's their relationship? How long have they known each other? Why is he calling her by her first name? Are they closer than friends? DID THEY KISS?_

As I closed the gap between Makoto and I, his eyes widened in shock.

"Mit-Mitsuru?!" he asked, bewildered.

I slid on the ground and connected with him for a long, overdue embrace. Tears continued to stream down my face, tears of sadness and joy.

"Makoto," I started, "I'm so glad you're alive. How're you feeling?"

"I-I'm fine. Just a little bruised," he stated, clearly an understatement.

We held one another in each other's arms for a while, until we were interrupted by a small voice.

"Uhm, hi…?" said the voice.

I quickly ended the embrace and looked to the source of the voice, "Ahem, excuse me. Forgive my rudeness, I'm—"

"Mitsuru," she answered. "Makoto has told me so much about you. My name is Fuuka Yamagishi; it's a pleasure to meet you."

 _Hmm, she's nicer than I expected. Perhaps she knows to lay off of him… no, the possibility is still there…_

"Uh, Mitsuru… You ok?" Makoto asked, snapping me away from my thoughts.

"Oh! Yes, I'm doing quite fine. Fuuka, the pleasure is mine. But enough formalities, we need to get out of here, fast."

"We'd already be gone, if Fuuka could just activate the teleporter."

"I swear I almost got it, a few more minutes and it'd be up and running."

 _The way_ they _banter back and forth, maybe there is something going on?_

"Regardless, we must escape now. Something is coming and—" the sound of rattling chains cut me off.

I turned around in horror, as I took in the sight before me. In front of me stood a large Shadow, dressed in a large, black cloak. However, the being was overshadowed by the massive revolvers it held in both hands.

I froze in fear, unable to move. I heard nothing, as I stood at the toes of such a foe. Dread washed over me, as my eyes widened in fear. Before I knew it, I was yanked backwards by an unknown force.

It was Yamagishi who pulled me back. I landed on the ground next to Makoto and watched on as Fuuka bravely stood toe to toe with the monster.

I noticed Makoto begin to look around in a frenzy, "My Evoker! Where…"

Yamagishi managed to grab his Evoker, without him noticing. She looked back with a dreary smile, "Mitsuru-san, please get Makoto-kun out of here. I'll… do what I can."

"But Fuuka! You don't even…" Makoto began to cry out, before Fuuka interrupted.

"I've seen you do it enough, besides how hard can it be," though she tried to sound strong, the fear in her voice was apparent. "Go on! Get out of here!"

My body began to move on its own, as I bolted to the teleporter. It was mere seconds before I finally activated it, a green aura emanating from it. I rushed to Makoto and began to drag him towards our escape.

"STOP! Let go of me!" he pleaded. "Fuuka, you don't have to do this."

Being as exhausted as he was, he could do nothing to prevent his fate. I reluctantly dragged him towards the teleporter, as he raised his hand up, weakly, trying to reach out to Fuuka.

"PLEASE STOP THIS!" he cried out, as I finally managed to drag him into the teleporter.

The last sight we saw was Fuuka successfully pulling the trigger on the Evoker, but the result of the it remained a mystery.

* * *

 **Tartarus: First Floor**

Makoto and I both landed on the hard floor, after escaping through the teleporter. My arms were still wrapped around his chest, as we both lied on the cold floor. Moments later, he began to try to wriggle from my grasp. He moved his body left and right, before managing to break free. He landed unceremoniously on the ground next to me.

"Makoto," I could only say his name.

He looked at me with an anger I've never seen. The blood and ash, combining together from the tears that fell from his eyes scared me like never before.

"Why!" he yelled. "Why didn't you let me save her?! Why didn't you let me…"

His voice stopped him as he began to sob even more.

"Makoto… I…"

"YOU! You did absolutely NOTHING!" he accused. "If it wasn't for you… if you hadn't led that… that thing to us, we'd be just fine!"

I knew he was emotionally unstable at the moment, but something in me could not tolerate the blame.

"ME!" I raised my voice. "For your information, _**I**_ did not lead that thing to you! _**I**_ only tried to help you two! If you're too stupid to realize that, then why don't you go back into Tartarus!"

Of course, I didn't mean to hurt him. I didn't intend to say such vile things, yet here I was, screaming at my only love.

His eyes widened into shock and fear. I'd never used that tone with him. I never yelled at him, at least not to that degree. I hardly ever insulted him either, fearing he would disassociate himself with me. I immediately regretted every word I'd said to him.

The look on his face shifted from terror to anger. The venom in his eyes was enough to send any normal human being running. I watched as his eyes narrowed and the world around me muted and I saw the words form on his mouth. Words I never wished to hear, words totally opposite to what I dreamed of.

Though I couldn't hear them, he clearly said, "I hate you."

I stood there, shocked out of my mind. My chest fell heavy as looked back at his face, to see if he'd made a mistake. Nope. He continued to look at me with those eyes that could kill a man. My mouth quivered as I blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears from falling. I'd never felt this way, I've never felt such sadness. My attempts were futile as my tears cascaded down my face and I let out a cry that I'd never cried since before we met.

Little did I know, there were four other people there with us. Of course, I ignored them and continued to cry. They made no move, standing there unsure of how to react. It wasn't until Makoto- no Yuki - decided to try to crawl back to the teleporter, that Sanada and Aragaki made some movement.

"That's enough, Yuki! Don't do this," Sanada tried to persuade, as the two men held Yuki down.

"Exactly, dude. If you knew what we went through to get you back, you'd stop being such an asshole," Aragaki added.

"Let go of me! Let go of me! Let go of me!" Yuki repeated, hatred spewing out hatred with each word.

"Listen man! Don't you realize how much you've hurt Kirijo-san over these last few days?! Especially just now! Do you even care about her?!" Akihiko yelled, trying to persuade the blue-haired boy.

"I SAID LET GO OF ME!" was his only reply.

After that statement, the tears stopped flowing. Something within me found the courage to stand up and steel myself. I stood up straight, lifted my head, wiped my tears, and said, "Let him do what he wants, let him get himself get killed, let him leave. From this point on, his actions are his own and are of no consequence to me."

Afterward, I spun on my heel and began to exit the Tower of Demise. Yukari caught up with me and walked behind me, occasionally throwing a glance at the guys.

"Mitsuru… I mean, Kirijo-san, you can't possibly mean that? Right?" she questioned.

"I meant what I said. If he lives, so be it. If he dies… he'll get no tears from me."

Yukari merely nodded at my statement.

Meanwhile, a bunch of commotion was happening between the guys.

"I'm boughta knock his ass out!" Sanada said, as Yuki continued to struggle underneath him.

"Just do it. For his sake and ours," Aragaki instructed.

With that, a loud strike echoed throughout Tartarus. Following the strike, Shinjiro slumped Yuki over his shoulders and began to carry him out of the tower, as well.

Iori who had no clue what was going on asked, "Hey! What about me?"

Sanada replied," You did well. Expect to hear from us in the following days."

With Iori in tow, the group finally exited Tartarus: after a long, rough night.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And that concludes Chapter 9. After writing this chapter, I remembered how fun it is to write, so expect a new update sooner than later. Anyways I hope you enjoyed the story thus far, sorry if I saddened anyone by that last part! We'll get there eventually! Just trust me! Plus, if you find any mistakes, in any of the chapters, feel free to let me know.

*"needs" was intentional

Shout outs to:

 **Anonymous1009**

 **Kingster16**

 **Kodel2012**

 **Nightlyy**

 **And last, but certainly not least: Kirijo Senpai**


	10. Shuffle Time 1

**Shuffle Time #1: "I'm Not Scared, You're Scared: Makoto!"**

 **Author's Note:** So, I've had an idea for a while now to add little tidbits into the story that enhance the history between Makoto and Mitsuru. These will take place before their high school lives (unless otherwise stated). They will generally be lighthearted affairs and will focus on building the relationship between the two. I will publish these between chapters (especially if the update is taking too long… sorry 'bout that) and they'll typically be shorter than the main story chapters, making it much easier to write quickly. With that out of the way, please enjoy Shuffle Time #1!

Quick Announcement: I've published a revision of Chapter 1, so please give that a read and please vote in the poll I've created. It'd mean so much to me. Thank you.

* * *

 **Age: 7**

It was an unusually rainy night, that night, with strong, gusting winds and booming thunder that shook the house every time. Takeharu Kirijo had left on a business trip, leaving the two children (besides the butlers and maids) alone in the house.

"Eeek!" cried Mitsuru, when a loud crash of thunder shook the foundation.

"Calm down, Mitsuru… you're such a scaredy-cat," Makoto teased.

"Am not! It's just…" Mitsuru got lost in her thought, but with a snap of her fingers she continued. "I'm worried the house will collapse. Yeah, that's it."

"This place is huge! There's no way a storm could knock it over," Makoto explained.

"Is that so? Still, there is always the possibility that the place could – eeek!" the strike of thunder caused Mitsuru to shriek in horror.

This had done it for her. Mitsuru fell to the ground and began hugging her knees as she rocked back and forth. Clearly, she was distressed and Makoto made note of it.

In an attempt to comfort her, he kneeled down to her level and said: "It'll be fine, 'Suru… thunder isn't all that bad."

Mitsuru, delighted to see him worrying for her, looked up at his face.

Before she could get a word in, Makoto seemingly continued: "It's the lightning you got to look out for! That stuff will kill you."

All admiration that she had for him at that moment dissipated, as she forcefully shoved him onto his back.

"Ow!" he whined. "What was that for?"

She stood up and offered a hand. Beneath her breath, she said, "For being an idiot."

"I don't understand girls," Makoto determined, graciously accepting her outstretched hand.

The two had walked back to their room in utter silence, until Makoto began to speak.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Father isn't here and there's nothing good on TV," Mitsuru replied.

After a moment of thinking, Makoto came up with an idea: "We should watch a movie!"

"Ok, but what kind of movie?" thoughts began to spiral in Mitsuru's mind. _Oooh, we could watch a romance movie!_

Makoto confusingly stared at Mitsuru's blushing face, wondering what she was thinking about.

"Don't worry about it, I'll go pick one. You just get the popcorn ready!" he said as he began his search.

"You better choose a good one!" Mitsuru called as she left the room.

Though unheard by Mitsuru, Makoto let out a devilish laugh.

* * *

"Sorry it took so long, I burned three bags before one of the maids helped me make it," Mitsuru apologized as she reentered the room. "So what movie did you pick?"

Makoto shot her a sly grin, "Oh, you'll see."

She eyed him suspiciously, "S-stop being weird."

He gave a laugh and patted on the spot next to him on the bed. Mitsuru joined him, as they draped the blanket over both of their shoulders and placed the bowl of popcorn between them.

"You ready for this?" Makoto asked as he held the remote towards the DVD player.

Mitsuru, still wary of his actions, asked, "Ready for what?"

"Oh, you'll see."

This elicited a painful punch to his shoulder. "S-seriously! Stop a-acting weird!"

Makoto winced at his shoulder, as he rubbed it: "Ok, fine. I'll just start the movie."

The movie started out innocently enough. The beginning was slow and showcased a farmer and his family. At first glance, one might assume that the movie was solely about a farmer's life. However, ten minutes into the movie the focus had shifted. In the movie, one of the horses (a horse that Mitsuru had completely adored) was found mutilated.

Mitsuru's eyes went wide and her mouth followed: "Ma-Makoto…? What kind of movie is this?"

"Hahahaha," he laughed darkly. " Oh, it's nothing really… just a **horror** movie that was considered to be too extreme to be shown in theaters."

"Y-Yuki!" Mitsuru yelled as she began hitting him with a pillow. "Yuki: you idiot, you idiot, you enormous idiot!"

"Hey! Quit it! You're gonna get popcorn everywhere!"

"I don't care about the stupid popcorn! Turn off this movie, now!"

"C'mon, what are you? A scaredy-cat?"

This stopped Mitsuru's violent barrage: "N-no! I just don't w-want to watch a s-scary m-movie right now."

"Ahh, I see. Missus scaredy-cat," he teased her further.

"I am not a scaredy-cat! Fine, play your stupid movie! I don't care at all!"

"Alrighty then," Makoto said with a grin, as he continued the movie.

Makoto made note that Mitsuru had closed the gap between them, leaving no space between them.

"Ha, scaredy-cat," Makoto whispered to an obviously embarrassed Mitsuru.

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

The movie had not ended on a happy note. The unknown killer, clad in all black, set his sights on an island (that looked strangely like Fukushima), suggesting a possible sequel. The film also stated that the brutal killings would continue on forever. On a more harrowing note, the movie also claimed to be "based on true events".

The two children let out a very loud sigh of relief when the movie had ended. Both of them were completely enveloped in the blanket, only their eyes were peeking out from them. They were both visibly shaken by the movie, as evidenced by their literal bodies shaking.

"T-that wasn't s-scary at all," proclaimed Makoto.

"Y-you're r-right! N-not s-scary at a-all!" agreed Mitsuru.

Both were clearly lying, yet they wouldn't acknowledge it.

"S-say… who's g-gonna take the b-bowl of popcorn to the K-kitchen?" asked Mitsuru.

Makoto gulped hard, "W-why n-not just l-leave it? W-we s-should g-go to b-bed and put it a-away in the m-morning."

"N-no! We'll get ants like that!" Mitsuru exclaimed.

"F-fine, then you do it!"

"N-no w-way, you're the b-boy! Y-you d-do i-it!"

They continued to argue back and forth on who should take it, both too scared to do so.

"You're such a scaredy-cat!" said Makoto.

"I am not," countered Mitsuru. "You're just scared to do it."

"I-I a-am not scared!" Makoto quickly blurted out.

It was Mitsuru's turn to act sly. She put on a mischievous smile and held the bowl out to Makoto: "Prove it."

Makoto realized he was trapped. He gulped very hard, took a deep breath, and snatched the bowl away.

"F-fine! I'm not s-scared!" he yelled as he made his way out of the room.

At that moment, thunder struck once again causing Mitsuru to shriek quite loudly. Realizing she would be too scared if she was alone, she jumped out of the bed and chased after Makoto's retreating figure.

* * *

"I am not scared. I am not scared," Makoto repeated as he made his way down the dark corridors.

"I am not scared. I am not scared. I am not – AHH!" he shrieked out of character, when he felt something latch on to his back.

The figure on his back shrieked as well, causing Makoto to fall down in terror.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" he cried in panic.

"S-stop screaming so loud," the figure instructed. "It's just me: Mitsuru."

Makoto quickly regained his composure, "Mitsuru? What the hell? Why'd you follow me?"

"I-I felt bad, m-making you go alone. Besides, I'm thirsty," she lied, except about the "being thirsty" part.

"But why were you screaming?" he asked.

"Because you were," she replied instantaneously.

"I wasn't screaming… I was… clearing my throat," he claimed, though the lie was as obvious as ever.

Mitsuru decided it was smarter to not point out such an obvious lie, so she inaudibly accepted the answer. They both continued to lie on the ground, Mitsuru still latched to his back with her arms draped around his neck.

"Anyways, let's just go to the kitchen…" Makoto concluded, as he tried to stand up.

"R-right," she agreed.

Makoto struggled to stand up, as he was hindered by Mitsuru. "Mitsuru? Can you get off?"

"Not happening."

"And why not?" he asked, somewhat irritated.

She let out a long yawn and drowsily said, "I'm too tired."

"You should've stayed in bed then," Makoto suggested.

"Whatever, just carry me. You owe me that much, for making me sit through that stupid movie."

He let out a sigh and struggled to his feet, heaving her up along the way. He walked a few steps before thinking aloud: "She's soooo heavy!"

Mitsuru got angry, real fast, and choked Makoto with her arms. "What did you say!?"

Realizing he'd said that aloud, he tried covering it up. In a choked voice he barely squeaked out, "… _not heavy… not heavy…"_

She loosened her arms, and with a scary smile (not that he could see it) said: "Much better."

The two finally made it to the kitchen after the slow trek through the winding hallways. Makoto flung the bowl into the sink and was about to head back, until Mitsuru called out to him.

"Hey, Makoto! What drink should I choose?"

He looked at her dumbly and said, "Just choose anything, we should go to bed soon."

"Hmm, I cannot choose…" Mitsuru said, deep in thought.

Makoto groaned aloud: "Just get some water and let's go!"

"Fine, I'll get some water… but it's too high up."

It was true that the water pitcher was located on the highest shelf in the refrigerator and, due to their heights, neither could reach it.

"Makoto, help me out!"

"We should just ask one of the maids…" Makoto suggested.

"No way! They're probably asleep by now. Besides, that'd take too long."

"Then how do you suppose we get it?"

"Easy," Mitsuru claimed, winking and holding a thumb up. "I have a brilliant idea!"

The idea was less than brilliant, as it only consisted of Mitsuru sitting on his shoulders as he raised her into the air.

Makoto struggled to lift her up, but managed to get to his feet. He wasn't exactly steady, but he was confident that he could hold her up.

"But she's so heavy," he thought aloud, once more.

Due to her position, Mitsuru ignored the comment (though she won't let him get away with it) and continued on her mission. She reached up and was so very close to grabbing the pitcher.

"Almost… got it," Mitsuru said, as she struggled to grab it.

"Hurry it up!" Makoto complained.

"S-shut up! I'm trying!"

Unbeknownst to the two, a tall figure approached them from behind. The figures hand moved right past Mitsuru's head and grabbed the water pitcher.

"Oh, thanks…" Mitsuru started, until she realized what had just happened.

Mitsuru followed the arm to its source and could only just barely make out a face due to the glow of the refrigerator.

She let out a loud shriek, causing Makoto to begin to sway until he bumped into something behind him. He and Mitsuru ended up toppling the unknown figure, and they all fell to the ground. A loud thud, as well as splashing from the spilled water pitcher filled the room with commotion.

After just a moment, Makoto realized why Mitsuru had become frightened. Though he couldn't see his face, it was clear that it was a man clad in a long black coat, similar to the killer in the movie they had just watched.

"IT'S THE KILLER! RUN MITSURU!"

Mitsuru had quickly gotten up and tried to run, but slipped on the water that had been spilled and landed back on the ground.

"Oww!" Mitsuru began to cry.

"Mitsuru, are you alright?" the unknown figure asked, though the voice was incredibly familiar to Makoto.

"Yes, father, I'm alright… DADDY!" Mitsuru leaped at the figure, now revealed to be, none other than, Takeharu Kirijo.

"B-but how?" Makoto asked, quite surprised.

"I came home early. This storm is shaping up to be quite bad, so I decided it'd be best to go home. Not that I'm worried about this place coming down. You see, Mitsuru is pretty scared of thunder. Though, I'm sure you know that by now," Takeharu explained, adding a laugh at the end.

"D-daddy! You're not supposed to tell him that!" Mitsuru complained, looking very embarrassed.

"I-I see. I'm glad you're home, father," Makoto said, earnestly.

Takeharu smiled at the two, but it disappeared when he began to speak: "What are you two doing up so late? And why did you call me a 'killer'?"

"Well about that—" Makoto began, but was cut off abruptly.

"Makoto made us watch a really scary movie where they killed a pretty horsey – Can I get a horse, daddy?" Mitsuru explained, stopping mid-way to ask for a horse. "Anyways, the movie was so scary that Makoto was too scared to walk the hallways alone, so I bravely went with him. You see, Makoto is a big scaredy-cat…"

"Am not!" he interrupted.

"… and that's about it," Mitsuru finished with a beaming smile towards her father.

"I see… Mitsuru, get a glass of water and go off to bed."

"Yes, Daddy," Mitsuru replied as she complied with his instruction.

"I guess I'll go join her…" Makoto said as he turned on his heel to follow her.

"Not so fast," Takeharu said in a low voice. "You dare show my Mitsuru a film like that… I'll execute you!"

 _Execute… that sounds like a cool word_ , Mitsuru thought as she walked sleepily down the hall, sipping on her water.

That night, Makoto experienced true fear.

In the following days, Mitsuru got the horse she wanted: who she lovingly named "Execution".

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I hope you enjoyed the latest update, and I promise Chapter 10 is on its way. Considering how the last chapter went, I feel we all needed something a bit more lighthearted. If you want to talk or suggest any changes or even point out mistakes, feel free to PM me. Thank you, and I hope you continue to follow P3: Our Time Together.


	11. Chapter 10: Darkness

**Chapter 10: Darkness**

 **Author's Note:** Hello and welcome to the long-awaited Chapter 10! A lot has been going on in my life since I last uploaded, mostly negatives. In fact, things were so bad I had to finish this chapter on a public computer. Gross, I know. Anyways, this chapter has undergone so many variations: there are 5 other drafts that were written just for this chapter. I had a hard time finding what really clicked and what path would be the best to take. This chapter incorporates my favorite aspects from each of those drafts and combines them into this very chapter. After reading through it, I think I did really well, all things considered. Anyways, hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Oh, and some content might not be too appropriate for younger audiences. It's pretty tame stuff, but if you find any issues with it: please PM me or put it in a review and I'll do my best to accommodate.

* * *

 **Mitsuru's POV**

The walk back to the dormitory was quiet: _**painfully**_ quiet. Not once had I turned to face the others. As their leader, I had to walk tall and proud; besides, I couldn't bear to show them the tears that streamed down my face. During the trek back, that scene replayed over and over and over again in my head. I didn't mean what I said, not a single word. I'd hoped I could put some sense into his head, _but I guess telling him to do what he wants didn't help._

I'm thankful that Takeba quickly understood what I was attempting to do, and didn't question me any further. The guys on the other hand must've taken my word for what it was: I hadn't expected Sanada to knock Makoto out. When I heard the strike, I paused for a moment as my chest swelled up in anguish. That was when the tears began to fall again. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I had hoped the situation could've been handled more delicately.

When we arrived at the dorm, I set my path straight to my room. My mind wasn't clear and my emotions were a everywhere; and, most importantly, I needed to be alone. I think I heard Aragaki ask something, but I completely ignored anything and everything.

After entering my room, I slammed the door shut and locked it; before falling onto my knees and crying uncontrollably. I stayed there for a long time, letting the emotion fall from my eyes.

Before I knew it, morning had arrived; but the pain still lingered. A few knocks on my door and a voice snapped me back to my senses, if only temporarily.

"Uhh, Mitsu—Kirijo-san? It's Yu- Takeba, I just wanted to check up on you. Umm… how you holdin' up?"

I cleared my throat and took in some deep breaths and replied through the door: "Ahem, Takeba: I'm… I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking."

"Uh, ok… did you want to walk to school or…?"

"No, I'll be fine. You go on ahead," I barely managed to let out.

"Okay… then I'll see you at school?" Yukari asked.

When no answer was given, her footsteps retreated down the hall. I let out a sigh of relief and made my way towards my bed. _I can afford to miss one day._ I flopped onto my bed and buried my face into my pillow as I began to think about _him._

It pained me to think about him at all, especially what he said to me. In the back of my mind, I wanted to believe that what he had said was a lie. I mean, after all, distress can cause irrational thinking, _I think…_

I spent so long thinking about him that I hadn't noticed how tired I was, as sleep stealthily made its way over my body and mind.

* * *

I eventually woke up sometime after the sun had fallen. I sat up in my bed and yawned loudly… until I heard footsteps approaching my door from the hall.

Thump-thump-thump: three consecutive knocks rapped against my door.

"Yes?" I called, almost immediately.

"Uhh, it's Aragaki… It's pretty late and I'm sure you haven't eaten. It's not like I care, but I'm leaving a plate out here for you. It doesn't matter to me if you eat it or whatever."

Before I could form a response, his footsteps retreated back down the hall. I crept from my bed and placed my ear on the door. I didn't hear anything so I opened the door slowly. The food in question had been placed in the middle of the hall for some reason; 'Why?' was beyond me. Upon further inspection, it turned out to be nothing more than Cup Noodles. Still, judging from the response from my stomach, it's practically filet mignon. Plus, it's the thought that counts… _right_? I looked both ways in the hallway and slowly crawled out towards the noodles. I reached out for it and almost had it in my grasp, until I heard a voice.

"What are you doing…?" the words were drawn out slowly.

The voice had startled me so much; I ended up knocking the noodles all over the floor.

"My noodles!" I whined.

"I'm sorry!" the voice belonged to Takeba, who was, evidently, sitting in the lounge not too far away.

She rushed to grab a couple of towels to help me clean the mess.

As we cleaned, Takeba tried to console me with a conversation: "I guess when you haven't eaten in all day; even instant noodles can feel like a five-star meal."

I gave a weak chuckle and sighed.

Takeba noticed and added, "Y'know I never thought I'd see the day when the high and mighty Mitsuru Kirijo was on her hands and knees wiping up noodles from the floor. I gotta tell ya, its one helluva sight!"

I rolled my eyes at her, eliciting a giggle from her: "I fully expect you to compensate me for this tragedy."

She laughed as we finished up wiping up the floor. After disposing of the towels, Yukari urged me to follow her.

We'd ended up in the kitchen when she finally said, "The least I can do is cook you a proper meal."

I was weary at first, but ultimately decided that it was perfectly fine. "It should be interesting to see what _**you**_ cook for _**me**_."

"Don't worry, it's not like I'm gonna poison you or somethin'…"

"Now you have me worried," I said, amused.

"Just sit down at the table… and don't worry: everyone's in their room."

"Why would I worry about that?" I asked.

"Cuz you look terrible! Seriously, your eyes are so puffy: clearly not hot," Takeba explained.

"Yeah..." I said quietly as I made my way to the table.

Moments later, Takeba emerged from the kitchen. "Hmm, I can't wait to see…"

Set down in front of me was another Cup Noodle, "…what you came up with…"

"Ta-da! It's like you never spilled it," she declared, with a happy smile on her face. "But seriously: never leave grocery shopping to Shinjiro. All he bought was this stuff."

I did my best to hide the disappointment from my face, but still accepted the food graciously.

"Thank you, Takeba, for the…'meal'. No really, I do appreciate it."

"It really wasn't anything," she said, sitting adjacent to me with her own noodles.

We ate in silence, as I savored every bite of the instant noodles. Before I knew it, the cup was empty and my stomach was full. Takeba finished moments later, resulting in her breaking the silence.

"Hey, are you really ok?"

"Yes, I'm doing just fine…"

"You're lying," she accused with a serious expression on her face.

"I don't know what you're—"

"Look, anyone can tell that you are certainly NOT ok. Talk to me… it's just us girls here after all. Trust me, you'll feel better once you get it off your chest."

I looked at her wearily and sighed in defeat. Her eyes didn't appear to have any malicious intent and the look on her face was sincere. That night I talked to her all the way until the Dark Hour and she was right… I certainly felt better.

* * *

 **Makoto's POV**

 _Where am I…_

Opening my eyes revealed pitch-black darkness for as far as I could comprehend.

 _Where's…_

There was no one around me… _I coulda swore she was right there…_

 _Am I dead?_

The weightlessness of my body initially evoked fear, but a sense of calm ultimately prevailed. Drifting through the sea of darkness was soothing and almost relaxing.

It felt warm… familiar.

It began to feel as if two arms had begun embracing me from behind. They enveloped me, squeezing me as if to never let go. _They reminded me of Mitsuru…_

Suddenly, the arms began crushing me in a not-so friendly way. I could feel the life being drained from me as I tried desperately to gasp for air. My vision began to blur as I headed towards unconsciousness; but, despite being pitch-black, I could see a figure approaching me. Upon its approach, its details slowly became more and more visible.

It made a terrible screech, one that struck the fear of death into me. It appeared anguished before drawing its sword and sending it skyward. I looked on in horror; death coming from every angle. It then brought its sword down, all I could do was close my eyes and look away.

But death wouldn't come for me just yet. I suddenly found it easier to breathe and the arms that had constricted me were no more. I opened my eyes and was face-to-face with my… _"Savior"_? Its eyes or, lack thereof, was darker than the pitch-black that surrounded us. The presence as a whole lacked any temperature and radiated a cold reserved for the harshest winter. I trembled and felt significantly weaker, resulting in me collapsing. Instead of falling to who-knows-where, I felt the being catch me; ensuring I would fall no further.

I wheezed out one last chuckle: the entity that had emerged during my Awakening, the one that had tormented me in my dreams, had saved me… _again._

It made no voice or any other type of intelligible communication, but when it "spoke" I had understood it clear as day: "YOU CANNOT AND WILL NOT DIE HERE."

* * *

 **?**

My eyes slowly opened, as I took in a view of wooden floorboards. _I must be in my room,_ I quickly deduced.

I started to get up, when a series of dull pain resonated from my joints. In particular, my shoulder and knee felt to be in the most pain. I'd been sleeping on the floor; clearly, whoever put me here had no intention of making sure I was comfortable.

When I finally managed to get to my feet, I turned my head to read my alarm clock: _Tuesday April XX, 2007 9:24 AM._

I nodded in approval and let out a long, overdue yawn…until the realization set in.

"SSHHIITTTTT!" but the voice isn't mine.

I paused my panicked state and slowly walked over to the door. A couple of rooms down, I heard sounds of clatter and utter chaos. Hesitantly, I opened the door and peered down the hall. Moments after, a male emerged from one of the rooms displaying an overly animated amount of hysteria.

 _Is that…_

"Junpei?!" I hollered down the hall.

Junpei turned around, surprised: "Makoto? What the hell man? We're gonna be late for school!"

"We're already late… that doesn't matter. What are _**you**_ doing here?" I asked.

Junpei flashed me a cocky grin, "I moved in last weekend. Apparently, I (pointing at himself with both thumbs) got the Potential."

"Huh, is that so?" I asked in utter disbelief.

"Yep, genuine badass right here," he announced, pointing to himself once again. "Mitsuru –I mean Kirijo-sama – even let me join your special 'squad'."

"Damn, I must've been out for a while. She really should've told me first: I am co-leader, y'know."

"Yeah man, after that spout back at Tartar Sauce she really toughened up. But man, did you screw-up! A girl as hot as her… ooh man!" Everything about him screamed lust.

I'd forgotten what had happened that night in Tartarus, and it all came at me like a bus. Clearly words were said that were baseless and held no true meaning. _I need to apologize…_

"Hey! You think that I now have a shot at her?" Junpei asked.

"Who?"

"C'mon, you know… Kirijo!"

I smirked and shook my head, "No chance."

* * *

I waved Junpei off as he scrambled out the door. I decided to rest one more day, especially with the pain I was experiencing _. Besides, skipping one more day isn't going to kill me_. I returned to my room and began to remove my 'battle-worn' uniform. Examining just the coat: various cuts could be seen throughout, burns were scattered about as well, and the iron-like smell of blood emanated profusely. After removing everything, I tied a towel around my waist and looked in the mirror. Black ash peppered my hair and face, dried blood along with small cuts decorated my face, and a decent sized bruise shined proudly on my cheek.

"I really need a bath," I said to no one in particular. "Now's a good a time as any to do it."

Since everyone had left for the day, I decided it'd be safe enough to walk around the dorm in just a towel. I made my way to the fourth floor where the dormitory bath was located. Walking in, a light steam greeted me immediately. _Someone must've taken a bath this morning._

I thought nothing of it and was relieved that I wouldn't have to fill the bath. I rinsed myself off thoroughly, making sure to wash off most of the blood and ash. When I was finally satisfied, I made my way towards the tub. I slid open the door that leads to it and was pounded by cloud of steam. The steam was as thick as fog which made it a chore to actually find the tub.

"Geez, how irresponsible…" I muttered.

I finally found my way into the tub and slowly entered it. The hot water felt amazing against my 'battle-damaged' exterior: so much in fact, that I couldn't help but sigh in pleasure.

"W-w-w-who's there?!" shrieked someone.

Panic set in and I was at a loss for words.

"I-I-I know y-you're there! A-are y-y-you o-one of th-those p-p-p-p-predators that p-prays on y-young b-beautiful w-w-woman l-like me?!"

After hearing her voice again, I'd realized who it was. I swallowed hard: it was Mitsuru.

"B-b-but I'm n-n-not b-beautiful! I'm actually o-old and u-u-ugly!" her voice was getting unnaturally high-pitched.

That 'reverse logic' was definitely a trait of hers…

"S-s-s-s-seriously! T-T-Takeba, if this is a-a-another one of y-your pranks, I'll –"

I'd cut her short. In my best 'Yukari' voice, I responded: "Oh, yes Mitsuru! It is I… Yukari!"

She remained silent and didn't reply. _Maybe she didn't hear me._

"AHEM! Yes, Mitsuru: tis I –" my voice cracked terribly. "Yukari! You have fallen for another one of my dastardly tricks. Aha! Aha! Aha! You have been bamboozled completely! Aha!"

"L-L-LIAR! Takeba never calls me by my name! W-who are you!?" she shrieked once more.

 _This is bad… I need to get out._

I slowly attempted to make my way out of the tub, hopefully escaping before anything happens. I'd barely even gotten up when the steam had almost clearly dissipated. Be it a trickster or some comedic-demon, the air between Mitsuru and I had cleared up remarkably well.

We stared at each other for a while. Her face was a pure red, redder than I had ever seen. Her eyes were fixated on mine, hers appearing exceptionally large. I tried to hold my eyes, but they soon began to wander. Her immaculate skin was mesmerizing, it was practically glowing. Her arm did very little to hide her bosom, _s-she's definitely grown…_ Her body was toned perfectly, no doubt from the countless hours spent fighting Shadows. Despite being distorted by the water, I could tell her legs were near flawless.

"W-wow…" I said, sheepishly.

"M-Makoto!" she yelled, as if trying to reaffirm the situation. "W-w-where are you looking…?"

I quickly diverted my gaze, "Sorry… I just couldn't help… it."

"Geez!" she splashed water on me. "I'm supposed to be mad at you, and now you're doing this to me…"

I could tell she was really embarrassed, which is totally a given: "If it makes you feel any better, I think you look great."

She splashed more water on me, "You idiot!"

She sounded like she was on the verge of tears: "G-get o-out of here! You… You dumb idiot!"

"T-trust me! I would, but there's a slight problem… I kinda left my towel in the other room," I admitted.

"Seriously! As luck would have it, mines in there too," she sighed in remorse.

"I could close my eyes while you leave," I suggested.

"I don't trust you… not after you scanned my entire body with those eyes. Why don't **you** get out?!" she said, sounding irritated.

"Well… we have another problem," I added. "…down _there…"_

"What are you –" the realization set in fast, turning her face into an even darker shade of red. "Y-you pervert! Creep!"

She sent a barrage of water my way, with the relentless assault lasting at least a minute.

"C-calm down!" I instructed.

"How can I calm down?! Don't you understand our situation!?" She still sounded hysterical.

"L-look, I'm sorry –" I started.

"Oh you're sorry? You think you can just say those words and everything is fine? You can't even begin to understand the emotion and pain that I've gone through these last couple of weeks!"

I looked at her, confused. _What is she going on about?_

"Do you know how it feels to have the one thing that you've treasured all your life, to be ripped from you with just three words? Of course you don't, you've never had feelings for anyone beyond basic-friendship." At this point, Mitsuru was shedding tears.

"Mitsuru… I… I didn't mean –"

"You didn't mean those words, right? Lousy excuse… I subscribe to the notion that one's true feelings show in times of extreme emotion or distress…" Mitsuru still shed tears, but her demeanor showed more confidence.

I remained silent, contemplating what to do.

"Those feelings I held for all those years, the same ones that had kept me going all this time: destroyed in a matter of seconds…"

"That's enough…" I said, head facing down.

"I take it you finally understand what I've –"

I rushed across the bath towards Mitsuru and brought her in for a hug.

"What do you think you're doing! Get off!' she yelled.

She continued to struggle, until she felt my body tremble. She turned and noticed the tears rolling down my face, and stared in shock.

"I'm sorry! Okay! I didn't know what I was doing… I didn't… I didn't know what I was saying. I had no clue it'd have such an effect on you," I cried.

Mitsuru continued to look at my pitiful face, before breaking down into tears too. She fully embraced me back, her cold tears running down my back. I was so distressed, in fact, that I failed to realize her breasts were in direct contact with my chest.

After several minutes of holding each other, we finally calmed down. Though the revelation that we were both still very naked quickly came back to us, and I retreated to the other side of the bath.

"Ahem look, Mitsuru," I started. "You're the last person I want to hurt, you are my closest friend after-all*. I'm going to get out now and head back to my room. I'm sorry for causing such a scene, I'll… I'll accept any execution that you deem fit."

Before she could respond, I quickly made my way out of the bath and into the next room to retrieve my towel. Afterward, I went straight to my room.

* * *

 **Makoto's Room**

I changed into a new set of clothes and flopped onto my bed.

 _AHH! I feel like such a baby… I mean, I cried in front of a girl… it's just Mitsuru, but still!**_

I continued to regret my actions, until I heard a couple of knocks on my door.

"M-Makoto… It's me, you probably haven't eaten anything in a while… Ugh, if you're hungry I'll make you something!"

 _Why'd she sound so aggressive towards the end…?_

"Uhh, yeah… sure. I'll be right there."

"O-okay… I'll meet you downstairs."

With that she scurried off towards the end of the hallway. I got up from my bed and headed downstairs, towards the dining area.

* * *

 **Dining Area**

I sat at the table, wondering what she might be cooking up.

"She's a pretty good chef, so there's no doubt it'll taste great," I thought aloud.

Moments later, _a little too fast,_ Mitsuru entered the room and placed instant noodles in front of me, as well as across from me. She took her seat in front of me, and gave me a goofy smile.

"Bon Appétit! I present to you the Aragaki Special!"

"I-I see. Aragaki, huh? You must like him if he gets a meal named after him."***

"Wha- That's far from the truth… He's been buying the groceries lately, and without a proper list he just comes back with a surplus of Cup Noodles."

"Hmm, but still… I never thought I'd see you eating one of these again… Remember when we were little and you spilled it all over that new dress you got? You cried all day because of that," I ended it with a laugh.

Mitsuru appeared embarrassed," I did **NOT** cry all day, for your information."

"I know for a fact you did. You made me hug you all night until you fell asleep. I don't think I could forget that much tears and snot, even if I wanted to."

"Snot! Preposterous! Weren't you the one who cried when Dad said I could watch my cartoons when Phoenix Ranger Featherman R was on?"

"I-it was the one-hour special!" I burst out saying.

"Ha, so you admit it!" Mitsuru said, victoriously.

We both laughed and shared a smile together. I could feel my stomach begging for food, so I vigorously began eating. Mitsuru took note of the atmosphere and began eating as well. Minutes passed before we were both done.

After all this, one question remained on my mind: "Hey, why aren't you at school today?"

Mitsuru looked away, disappointed with herself: "You must not have noticed, but I'm pretty banged up from exploring Tartarus…"

I started to examine her closely. She was wearing a long-sleeve shirt, so I had very little area to examine. She was right; her injuries could be seen if one was paying attention. Callouses from her rapier and bruises on her hands, small scratches on her neck, and a tiny scar on her forehead: hidden by her hair. She stood up and walked over to my side of the table. Without a word, she pulled up her skirt to reveal her thigh. More bruises and scratches painted her legs. The sight pained me both physically and emotionally.

She took a seat next to me, with her back to me. She'd begun unbuttoning her shirt and slid it down past her shoulder: "This one was from last night… a big one was able to flank me… it still stings even now."

Across her back was a large scar, parts still raw and unhealed. Without thinking, I traced my hand along it. She'd winced at first, but soon admitted that my touch was quite soothing. Moments after my hand retreated, much to her disappointment.

"I had to get carried out by the other members. By the time we reached the entrance we were all drained, so healing was out of the question," she admitted.

"I'm so… sorry," I apologized.

"T-there's no need for you to –"

"I promise, Mitsuru: whether it's a shadow or some guy, I won't let anyone hurt you…" I said, voice trembling.

"That's a pretty big promise… Make sure you take responsibility, hm."

I laid my head onto her back, making sure to avoid the scar: "Of course…"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And that was Chapter 10! I hope you all enjoyed it. I truly enjoyed writing every scene, the bath scene in particular. Anyways, please feel free to write a review if you have any questions, comments, criticisms, or all the above! Thank you and stay tuned for the next one!

 **Special Shout Out to** **LucythePir8!** I definitely recommend you check out their Persona story!

 **Bonus!:** **From Mitsuru's Perspective**

 _(*) Closest…_ _ **FRIEND! ***_ _Cries internally_

(**) _Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!_

 _(***) How dense can you be!? Was I too vague in my profession of love?!_


End file.
